Kingdom Parenthood The Search for Ventus
by belleandthebeast91
Summary: This epic story takes Kingdom Hearts from a different perspective. Ever wonder where the main characters' parents were all this time? Well here's the story to answer all these questions.
1. Chapter 1

**_CHAPT 1 _**

"Hey Maggie! Haven't seen you in 2 weeks what's up?" said my friend Esmerelda holding her blue haired, 2 year old daughter Aqua.

"Oh, well, you know, always busy, busy! Eleaus just got a new job as an apprentice for shipmaking."

"Oh wonderful! I must tell my beautiful Richy all about it!"

"Yes, it is very exciting. He was unemployed for almost 3 years and we have been so thankful that we are finally in a stable position."

Aqua started clapping her hands at the sight of our optimism. The little doll she is.

"We'll see you tonight at your house," said Esmeralda.

"Okay, Essy," I said delightfully.

As Esmeralda and Aqua left, I sat on a bench wondering to myself, _was I truly happy with my husband and my success_?

All this time, I felt as though something was missing in my life. My husband, oh Eleaus, the dear love of my life, the money,

the jobs, the home, and…..oh my. At 30 yrs. old I have everything in the world that I wanted. I lightened up and picked myself

up and walked back home to Eleaus. A kiss on the lips would make me feel a whole lot better.

"Hi Dear! Didn't want to surprise you but we invited Terra Sr., Terra Jr., and Molly over!" exclaimed Eleaus.

"Aha! Now I remember you did tell me!"

So we waited a couple of hours before the families came. The doorbell rang at about 5:30pm. I of course looking

extremely gorgeous in my orange, ruffled dress!

"Hi Miss Maggie!" shouted 3 yr. old Terra Jr. and hugged my waist. A very free spirited boy with his jumpy attitude

and short dark brown hair.

"Honey, Mag, darling!" my dear friends Terra Sr. and Molly embraced me and Eleaus.

Richy, Esmerelda, and Aqua soon followed after. The kids began to play dress up and "mortal combat" together in the

nursery. Eleaus and I cooked orderves and hamburgers for dinner. The house smelled of diverse meats, fruits, starches, and

vegetables for our annual summer picnic.

"Terra! Aqua! Time for din din!" the parents called out.

"Okay! We'll be down!" they exclaimed.

We all ate in circle formation as we have always done, even when we ate with Master Eraqus at our memorable Land of

Departure center. Terra and Aqua finished painstakingly last to us adults! The little darlings!

Terra Sr. had suddenly gazed in my direction, eyes looking speculatively at me, "Maggie, can I talk to you after

dinner?"

"Sure, about what?"

"Oh….it's just about our friendship and families…."

"If you say so, I would like you to bring Eleaus, Molly, Richy, and Esmerelda with you."

"Yes, that would be most appropriate."

So after dinner, we all congregated in the living room, while Terra Jr. and Aqua went outside to play ball against the

setting sun.

"What is concerning you, Terra?" I asked him.

"I would like a reasonable explanation as to why you were looking so suggestively at my wife…" muttered Eleaus.

"I am concerned that you both have not been able to, let's just say have children," said Terra gravely.

"WHAT? How can you say such a thing, Terra?" said Molly and she hugged his shoulder tightly.

"We have our baby Terra, and Richy and Esmerelda have Aqua, and what about you two? I'm just extremely

concerned," questioned Terra.

"It's not for us to decide. We cannot and we will never have children," proclaimed my husband bravely.

When I married Eleaus, we both knew for sure that we never would have children. We both led busy and hard knock

lives and we were happy with each other's company. Our parents, especially my father, Amadaus, the wonderful man

he was, even advised us to not have children for some grave family secret, which I will explain later. I thought Terra

wouldn't understand if I did tell him.

"Terra, you must respect Eleaus and Maggie's choice. They are still our friends, no matter what the circumstance," said

Richy.

"Terra and Aqua is enough for sure!" said Molly happily.

"That's right, Molly! They are happy together need no other with them to look after," said Esmerelda.

"Oh, you're right. I shouldn't interfere with private matters like that," said Terra disgruntled.

"We have tried once and it didn't work, so stay out!" shouted Eleaus.

"Honey, please. There's always the future. But Eleaus and I…he and I, 30, are still establishing ourselves. We have

plenty of time," I reasoned.

"If you say so, Maggie," said Terra. "But Terra and Aqua will be growing up and you and Eleaus will be the only ones

without children in our pack."

"Get out of my house!" my husband bolted. "ALL OF YOU! OUT!"

And like that, our dearest friends had deserted us. We didn't speak again or have the kids over for over fifteen years.

Eleaus was too easily swayed into grudges though it pained me so much. We tried time and time again to have kids but to no

avail in the end….one in miscarriage. The days were sad and lonely as Eleaus and I came back to our home, but we still

continued on with our lives. Making money and living peacefully in our well-kept home.

At 45yrs. old, my birthday on New Years' day, I smiled at my beautiful husband and blew out the candles on my rich

chocolate cake. Ate the whole thing in 3 days.

On night I gazed up into the stars and observed the meteorites hitting the ground someplace beyond our valley.

Suddenly, I felt something in the pit of my stomach,

"OH MY F****** GOD! WHAT A LOUSE I AM I! I HAVE NOTHING! NO FRIENDS, NO FAMILY!

NOTHING!"

I bawled my eyes out still recalling what my friend Terra had dismissingly told me fifteen years ago. He may not have

been right about being a part of the pack, Eleaus and I were our own people, but he could sense my pervading unhappiness

eating away at me.

"Terra was right…he was right all along….I had refused time and time again to tell him what was wrong with my

husband and I. We really thought both of us were infertile. What if my father had lied to me all along about that? Why

shouldn't I have children? As in the words of Hamlet, "What an ass I am?!"

"Stupid old man, thinking he could protect Eleaus and I from that Master Xehanort. That something terrible would

happen to our baby? No! I'll show him. No one can deny ANYONE their life!"

That night, I marched right up to Eleaus and I's bedroom and closed the door….behind that green door, well, you can

guess what happened… it was the best feeling I had in years.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapt. 2 **_

"Still giggling dear?" my husband asked me, him and his broad, hairy chest. Both of us still in bed at 12pm.

"Yes….mmmm…I love you, sweetheart," I said happily and kissed him.

"Now the thing is, will it work this time?"

"Oh, let's just pray to God and Jesus it does work! I'd love to have a baby girl!"

"Are you serious, I want a son, to wrestle and go fishing with!"

"Oh, whoever we get, we will be a happy, healthy family. And age is no barrier!"

And with that, Eleaus and I got dressed up and started to tend our garden together.

_**Chapt. 3**_

The sun began setting, almost time for my husband to come home. I sat in my rocking chair pondering about the future and friends. Maybe I should call Terra and apologize or he should apologize and we would become friends again. _No. I can't do it_. _But, Maggie, it's been almost 15yrs. Give your friends a chance. They are all you and Eleaus got_.

Finally, I swallowed my pride. It gave me a splitting headache and called up the very people that had given me havoc that very summer….

"Hello? Who is this?"

It was little Terra, only he didn't sound little anymore. I heard a more headstrong, Terra Sr.-esk voice.

"Terra, sweetie. It's Maggie."

"MISS MAGGIE! MISS MAGGIE! We have been thinking of you guys for a while. How is everything?"

"Everything is fine, Terra. Is your dad there?"

"Y-Y-Yes he is…..DAD! DAD! It's MAGGIE!"

"Maggie?" I heard a soft voice from the static from the homephone.

"Maggie, is it really you?" asked Terra Sr.

"Maggie! Hi honey!" shouted Molly into the phone.

"Pull yourself together, women, she's my friend," said Terra Sr. chuckling.

"Yes, Terra, it is me. I want to talk to you. I'm just soo soooooo SORRY. I know I sound fake don't I?" I asked.

"Not at all, Mag. I'm the one that should be sorry. That night has been tearing me apart for years. And I mean it….." his voice trailed off mysteriously.

"Really?"

"Yes. It was wrong of me to get involved in your personal matters. I guess it's just because we all are so close. I just felt it was appropriate in my mind to address it to. You've put me off and shut me up a few times about the concept of children all those years before. And it hurt me badly, you know."

"Yes, I understand, Terra. I wanted to tell you the truth so much, but it was such a private matter that I thought you, Molly, Richy, and Esmerelda wouldn't understand."

"Ahhhh. I see. Not everyone is picture perfect, Maggie. Every family has his or her flaws. Molly and I nearly separated because I swallowed my pride about you that evening. Luckily, my son doesn't even know about those arguments Molly and I had from time to time. Terra's seventeen and don't want him to fall apart like other young people do. I want him to come from a good family, together, intact…so that he can become strong."

"Oh, Terra, I never knew that. Here, the point was….I am not infertile. It's just that my family is ridden with one major problem. Referring specifically, to this Master Xehanort. His sole purpose is to go after any heirs of my family, boy or girl. He wants to use them for some sort of "experiment." But my father had told me that he was dangerous, a MAD MAN. Why might you ask? Because he was his dear friend from the Destiny Islands:

_They did everything together. Swam the water, ran races, watched sunsets, told jokes, the whole nine yards. Xehanort was a very innocent minded, attractive boy and so was my father. They weren't usually swayed by uncertainty or things that might put them on the wrong path in life. Then, one day, Xehanort had discovered something rather curious in the ocean. It had washed up on shore. My father, Amadaus, was just about to see him, when he suddenly hid in the palm bushes to see what Xehanort was up to. _

_ 'Ah ha, here it is! My ancestors knew a thing or two about the darkness!' he exclaimed. _

_Xehanort was a young man, 21 yrs. old and his mind was being poisoned and tempted to follow an unknown path. This was a side of Xehanort that my father had no idea about. He thought he knew his friend well. My father began to follow Xehanort back to his house, which he never in his whole life visited. Xehanort would never let him for some strange reason. Broken home. His parents had abandoned him as a baby and he was taken in at a foster care house not far from where my father lived. He soon had decided to move to this old abandoned castle tower. _

_ The book looked very old and prehistoric. Its lack of penmanship began to scare my father, usually all books possess an author or editor. He finally reached the tower and took a ladder to Xehanort's tower. He saw an abundance of pipes, bookshelves, and hideous looking pictures of other worldly beings painted by Xehanort. Xehanort then began to open the book and read out loud something about a Keyblade War in the near future. _

_ "Yes! Yes! This is what they had left me to do! This world is just TOO SMALL! I must leave now!" _

_ The room had suddenly went dark, with only the pipes ringing in the background. My father could not see a thing. It was intensive gray mist surrounding the inside of the tower. He thought he saw something with claws moving on the ground and my father began to lower his gaze._

"_Xehanort! Xehanort!" Where are you!" my father shouted, his hands banged on the glass window. _

_ Suddenly a pair of glowing yellow eyes whooshed up to the window, breaking the glass into thousands of shards. My father must have fallen 2 stories. He had three major glass cuts on his arms and legs. As he looked up to the window, my father saw something, almost alien-like in the window which faintly resembled his once innocent friend eying him predatorily from the top. It suddenly disappeared into a black hole. My father soon ran up the stairs to Master Xehanort's room…empty. _

_ "Xeahnort! Xehanort! What was that thing! Xehanort!" _

_ He suddenly tripped over the mysterious book his friend had discovered at the beach. My father began to read it nonstop until morning when he finally finished it. A Keyblade War was about to begin and Master Xehanort was chosen as the heir to the Darkness's evil regime. A Judgment panel if you will. And he took it in easily, without awareness as to the havoc he would wrought upon the universe. My father took matters into his own hands, packed his supplies and resources and set out on a mission to stop his best friend._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapt. 4 **_

_ My father took his flying moped and raced from world to world trying to find Xehanort. He saw many new faces from a young man named King Triton to a rising government official named Radcliffe as he made new connections with people who would help him in his journey. _

_ At 21yrs old, my father, Amadaus, became a man of the universe. _

_ A year later he managed to meet a nice little lady, 25 yr. old, Ella from the Radiant Garden. She tagged along for the ride as she was engaged to my father once they left the world. They married two years later. _

_ My mother had loved my father very much and supported him in everything he did, especially to protect her. _

_ After 5 yrs., of searching, my father had finally found the place where Xehanort had been hiding all along. _

_ "Amadaus, are you sure you want to go there? It's cloudy and dry…" my mother pondered. _

_ "Yes, Ella. I am sure. We cannot let him built up that darkness. He wants Kingdom Hearts for himself. He wants to start the Keyblade War!" _

_ "What is this place?" _

_ "The Keyblade Graveyard. As coined by his ancestors." _

_ My father then saw dozens of other spaceships and mopeds flying through the air towards the same place he was headed. Almost a thousand young Keyblade wielders had arrived. My mother holding my father tight across the chest. _

_ My parents had arrived and set their machinery on a low dusty mound. The place was a vast desert, with no plants or animals, only winds. They heard marching in the distance. Thousands of young men and women dying to protect the light from one man. The slashing, the cutting, was devastating, but my parents were miles and miles away from the storm. _

_ They kept on running towards the great light that lay across the field. Until suddenly, a mushroom cloud like formation had covered the desert and quickly, like a stampede had pillaged anything in its way. A blue light began shining through the gray sky above and there low and behold was Xehanort. A heart shaped moon appeared…It was Kingdom Hearts. _

_ After a half hour of rock climbing, they had finally reached Master Xehanort. _

_ "Xehanort! What do you think you are doing? Have you gone mad?" exclaimed my father. _

_ "Oh, Amadaus, I am just getting started. Look at what you see, even those dozens of young ins weren't powerful enough to stop me! Now I can have Kingdom Hearts and cover the universe in everlasting darkness!" _

_ "You will pay Xehanort! The innoncence….oh Xehanort THE FAULTINESS OF YOU!" shouted my father and took out his sword and began to charge. My mother gasping for her life._

_ Xehanort unleashed his inner dark powers and created a Keyblade for himself and fought my father in a fight to the death. _

_ "It is only a matter of time before Kingdom Hearts is mine, as long as that great crystal above us shines bright, darkness will continue to flood the worlds. And there is nothing you can do to change that! From then on, the ultimate X-blade will be formulated and the universe will be mine!" _

_ Bash, after bash, and my father still didn't give up. You can say he was his equal in strength and perseverance. _

_ "Amadaus!" shouted my mother. _

_ "Ella it isn't safe! GO NOW!" _

_ But it was too late, Xehanort had called upon these creatures called the Heartless and over took my mother. _

_ "It's over Amadaus! Let the darkness overtake you and join me! Abandon the light!" _

_ My father had collapsed…it really did look like the end. _

_ My mother began to convulse under great stress. The storm was no better, rain, sleet, and dusty wind. _

_ Suddenly, my father arose. A yellow light embodied him. His eyes shown blinding Xehanort. A Keyblade had appeared in his hand and raised it to the sky towards the crystal and shattered it to millions of pieces. The sky looked as though it was going to implode. _

_ "It's over, Xehanort! Exile!" and with a wave of his Keyblade, Xehanort had vanished into the blackness of the sky. _

_ "Oh…no Amadaus, we have barely begun. I will have my revenge on your children's children's children! And your family will pay the price, I guarantee it! My research has taken new heights!" he cackled. _

_ He simply disappeared from all existence…. From then on, my father became an ever more a private man. A year later I was born. Thank goodness, Master Xehanort never knew where we dwelled. _

"That Terra, is why I did not want to have children. I lied to you because Master Xehanort, now that my parents have passed will find me more vulnerable and my baby would get hurt or worse things horrible to imagine with such a mad man. Hearts are unpredictable, Terra, and that is the one thing I fear most in the entire universe."

"Thanks, Maggie. I'll talk you soon. I love, soooo much!"

"I love you all too."

_**Chapt. 5**_

That night, as I lay in bed, nightmares began to fill my head with all sorts of paranoia and strange images of the darkness and most of all Master Xehanort.

Must be in his 70s by now and still holding onto that darkness no matter what. It's what made him older, physically, mentally and emotionally (I meant that as an insult). How lucky I was to be young and inexperienced. To never know darkness or old age yet. Yet we all must die sometime right? No, oh no not me.

I had the light around me for sure. My husband, my friends reunited again. There was nothing we couldn't do together. We would always be bonded no matter what the cost. After all there was still hope, those two teenagers, Terra and Aqua. They would make a difference, they would change society, one that Master Xehanort could not even fathom, even with all the darkness in the palm of his hand.

Oh yes, there is hope. Generations of new Keybearers will come forth and contribute their share to the universe. Protecting it against the darkness, in thought, word, and deed.

It looked like I was getting out of bed for something, but I wasn't sure what. I could feel in the pit of my abdomen. A smile ran across my face as I looked up at the approaching meteor shower. It was a baby bump…..

_**Chapt. 6**_

"OH MAGGIE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE IT!" shouted Richy and Esmerelda. It was Richy and Esmerelda's third time over that week I found out. They were so excited for me.

"Does Eleaus know?" asked Aqua.

"No he doesn't sweetie, I will tell him when he gets back."

"It's so small. You still have from this month (January till October 3rd), Terra and I's birthday!)

"Let me feel it!" said Terra Jr. excitedly. "We're gonna be like older siblings to this kid, Aqua! He or she will definitely follow us around!"

"And I'm sure you two will be the best role models for my child ever!" I said warmly.

After the families left, I was alone, to myself with the future baby.

"You, my friend, are lucky. Because you nearly didn't exist! But I'm not gonna deny you your right to live and to love."

Knock. Knock. My Eleaus had come home!

"Hi dear! Why are you smiling?"

"Eleaus, you will never believe it, if I told you…"

"You are…what I think you are?"

I shrugged my shoulders. Eleaus tilted his head to see the bump slightly beneath my bathrob.

"That bump wasn't there two weeks ago…." He said as he placed his hand to my stomach.

"Ah my dear…" he hugged and kissed me all over again.

"Sweetheart, we already have one! I think one is enough!"

"You know I get carried away, Mag. I love you. Just think in 9 months we'll be Mom and Dad! And I don't even care if I am 45 by the end of the year! No one is too old to be a parent!"

Age, like I said was no barrier. In fact, having kids at that age makes you feel younger! Yes I did have to take certain precautions and medications to keep the baby healthy according to the doctor, since I was over 40.

I did all sorts of exercises, Master Eraqus helped me with that too. Such loyalty to our family. My usual routine, gardening, watching Terra and Aqua grow even more into full-fledged Keyblade masters. All the while, the baby grew and grew inside me.

Master Eraqus had pulled Eleaus and I aside.

"You two are very fortunate to have that child. He or she will make an excellent addition to our Key family at the Land of Departure. You, Maggie, look as radiant as ever I've seen you. Promise me you will keep the child safe from any harm?"

"We will," my husband and I said valiantly.

The Master nodded and went back to correct Terra and Aqua's mistakes.

Spring, summer, and fall went by as fast as ever. Almost time to deliver the baby. Now that would really be the time to tell the baby's gender now wouldn't it?

No. I thought I'd rather wait till the end to tell everyone.

I had letters sent from all characters from various worlds, worlds that my father had visited wishing me good luck. Master Yensid gave me the biggest thanks with his blessings. He told me that he sees interesting things for my future child and his/her development as a Keyblade Master.

Eleaus paced up and down, left and right in front me as if I was to deliver the baby any minute some days. At the end of the day, the two of us would laze around the couch and just hold each other. Gently talking and whispering in each other's ears, sharing past experiences and stories.

"I really hope Master Xehanort doesn't know about his," he whispered.

"I hope not, we will need to relocate someplace else, the Land of Departure, Disney Castle, anyplace where light pervades."

_"Oh….but you are wrong, Maggie…."_ A voice had said above our ceiling.

"Who's there!" shouted Eleaus.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a black hole had appeared in our living room and there stood a tiny bald old man.

"YOU!"

"Oh, yes. I would like to give my own blessings to the "future" child."

"You will not get away with this Xehanort!" I exclaimed. "You trying to pick a fight or something."

Flames of darkness began to appear in his hand. He attempt to touch my abdomen.

"It's a curse, Maggie!"

Eleaus quickly stepped in sliced the top of Xehanort's hand. He writhed in pain from the slash and knelt to the floor. Defenseless in his own right, he was missing the power of Kingdom Hearts for so long.

"Your curses and spells will never harm our child. He or she will never bend to your will, EVER."

Eleaus took out his Keyblade and held it to Xehanort's neck. The old man gasped for breathe however much he could muster. Without the darkness I thought to myself, he'd be dead, without the darkness, he'd be nothing.

"Have it your way then, but I will have my revenge, starting the day that baby comes into the world. It will be born into enslavement by me!"

He vanished into the black hole, cackling.

"Our child will be double the hero of Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus combined," proclaimed Eleaus. "It'll will make a difference and when it does you will fail."

"Just think Eleaus, the bigger they are the harder they fall," I muttered. Eleaus and I could hear a loud grunt in the back of us, probably Master Xehanort hiding in the darkness like a withdrawing snake. I thought to myself smirking: _the most horrid mad men, make the biggest cowards. _


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapt. 7**_

Baby shower day!

Keyblade masters and students from all over our community came to celebrate with us. Even some funny and familiar faces, King Mickey, Donald and Goofy.

"Howdy, Miss Maggie. Is that your babe?" asked Goofy.

"OH GOOFY. WILL YOU EVER LEARN?" squealed Donald.

"Oh gwarsh, Donald, I'm so happy!" a smile on Goofy's face.

"Here is something special from Master Yensid," said King Mickey. He handed me a play Keyblade made out of wood. A golden plaque on there for the name of the child.

"Thank you, so much Mickey," said Eleaus. "We will teach our child the basics of Keyblade wielding."

Daisy and Minnie Mouse came over, too.

"Maggie, just as I am proud of Donald and I's Hewey, Dewey, and Lewey. I'm sure your child will be just as fun loving as they are," said Daisy.

"You should set up lessons with Master Eraqus and Yensid for the child to get a headstart!" encouraged Minnie.

"Don't worry! Master Eraqus will definitely see to that ladies. I think I'm going to catch up with Eleaus."

I walked around even more, talking to many more diverse peoples with Eleaus. Gift giving was immense, from toys, teddy bears, little mechanic Keyblades, and bonnets, and pink or blue paint for the room. I personally would prefer greens, whites, or yellows.

The dinner, Eleaus and I especially planned, was luxurious. Chicken, pasta fazul, Chinese, hoagies, and for dessert Salty Sea Ice cream, the kids went crazy over! Phenomenon or what?

The laughter seemed to be abundant from everyone of the hundreds of tables. And off in the distance, as we ate together, Master Eraqus winked at me at the end of the table.

This truly was my day to shine. To start a family. Being a part of bringing a life into the world. It boggled my mind how much people take it for granted, a mysterious thing called childbirth. For Eleaus and I, it took persistence, work, dedication, of course some physicality and improvisation, but just an ounce of sympathy and kindness and of course...love, plenty of it, or elsewhere would our marriage be? I knew I was ready to have this baby. I could love it, because I loved Eleaus. No matter what obstacle we might face in life whether it be Master Xehanort or other major events, I knew we'd work through them. We were getting better and better at resolving arguments anyway, so I mean it's a start, but marriage is much more than that. With the baby on the way, the two of us still had much more to grow up to. Eleaus and I would find a way somehow and with our dear friends and Terra and Aqua and of course Master Eraqus, I began to breathe easier and think positively more and more on the prospects for us and the baby.

All of the sudden, the sky began to turn a greenish blackish color. Master Eraqus went immediately in front of Eleaus and I to protect us from the potential natural disaster. The winds picked up tremendously as dirty and trays of food began flying through the air. Drinks spilled on the clean cut dinner table as people scrambled to remake our settings for the party, really all for a lost cause. The tension was building up within me. I wasn't supposed to be upset now, it's too fertile of a time. Life is too precious to lose even as a baby. I feared miscarriage every time a storm came to our neighborhood. Lightening cracked the sky as Master Eraqus wiped out his Keyblade and created a forcefield around the whole party.

Master Xehanort's face appeared in the clouds descending toward us, "You will hand yourself over to me Maggie, NOW!"

"NO! I WON'T LET YOU HURT OUR FRIENDS!" shouted Terra and Aqua. Their Keyblades appeared and ready to do damage big time.

"Let the darkness overtake you both and join me in the quest to conquer the universe," the then 70 something man shouted.

"Why are you doing this?" I cried out with one hand on my stomach.

Master Xehanort smirked and replied, "I will never forgive what your father had done to me. Betrayed me as a friend, he should have joined me. We could have been something, we could have ruled the universe. He was my equal."

"He thought he knew you. Where was the Xehanort who wanted nothing more than to become a Keyblade master to spread peace and harmony not chaos to the universe. He wanted you back, as a friend. YOU BETRAYED HIM."

The old man cowered and frowned, "It's far too late to change me, Maggie. The darkness and I, you can say are "married" to each other. We can't possibly live without the other. Even better, your father should have killed me when he had the chance. Now your child shall suffer, by choking the serpent before its egg hatches!" Master Xehanort proclaimed maniacally.

"Okay, you asked for it, Xehanort!" charged Terra and Aqua and a dozen other Disney friends and characters. Master Xehanort never backed down but shot back with a wave of whirlwinds.

Eleaus had moved me inside of the house while the characters fought. Terra Sr., Molly, Richy, and Esmerelda remained by my side. The pressure was so hard on me, that I immediately began to develop labor pains. Master Xehanort sensed this and cackled at my humiliation. Suddenly, Terra came up from behind the old man began to choke him.

"D—D—Don't toil with me, boy!" he struggled to spew from his insignificant lips.

Terra's body grew with light from the inside. Aqua had used her magic to freeze Master Xehanort faltering the potential natural disaster to come. A tornado or a flood, the man was so unpredictable in his powers. The fighting wouldn't last long, but I had to save the baby and get to a safe place.

"Mickey, take Eleaus and Maggie to you-know-who's place," counseled Master Eraqus, "Terra, Molly, Richy, and Esmerelda will help me fend off Xehanort."

"You can count on me, sir!" as Mickey took out a magic star and transported us to the unknown place.

All I could see was Mickey, Eleaus and my own hands in a screen of a multicolored tunnel. I could exactly see an to it which made me panicked. I feared that I might give birth while I was traveling and surely lose the baby. As the wind picked up greater speed around us, Mickey let go briefly and Eleaus grabbed me all around to keep me steady until we landed.

_**Chapt. 8**_

Eleaus and I found ourselves at the Magical Tower, home to the great Master Yensid. Mickey had told us it was the only other place, Master Xehanort did not know of. The world itself was invisible, cut off from the rest of the universe. Master Eraqus had notified his dear friend that we would be arriving to deliver the baby. The sky was in a constant state of twilight, with light orange capped mountains and a train track leading to a town not too far away.

"Eleaus, I'm hurting on the inside," I gasped.

"Here let me pick you up again, we'll get to a room upstairs."

3 floors of grueling steps to finally get up to Master Yensid's office. He had a spare bedroom for us to stay in. The 3 Good Fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather and Donald and Goofy soon arrived to aid us in the delivery. Richy, Esmerelda, Aqua, Terra Sr., Terra Jr, and Molly followed 30min. later for support waiting for me and Eleaus to emerge. Eleaus held my hand all through though it was very bluish, purplish afterward. It took a good ten minutes for my nerves to calm down amid the contractions. Once the snow began falling slowly outside our window, I finally felt at peace. I found out later that Master Yensid orchestrated the snow spell. I pushed and pushed gently. With much encouragement, I fell straight asleep. Feeling like Sleeping Beauty, my husband gently woke me up with a kiss, holding a cooing baby.

Me becoming more and more speechless. I had done it. Everything felt unreal and dream-like. Had Master Xehanort seriously try to attack me and the baby? What the hell was that star thing Master Eraqus gave Mickey.

Master Yen Sid had told me that before the baby had the unbiblical cord accidently wrapped around its neck. But the Good Fairies, managed to remove it with their own magic. Our new son, Ventus Lexeaus, forever the apple of my eye, consolidated the happiness of Eleaus and I at last.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapt. 9**_

Eleaus and I were beyond excited to bring Ven home a few days later. Blond hair, eyes like the pale blue sky, and smile that lights up the whole room. I thought for sure at my age that I would never be able to have children. The doctors had advised my husband and I time and time again that it would be risky to have children in our forties. These are precious years for life to develop and the child could have been born with a defect or a disability. But, no, we were confident in ourselves, and took the extra step.

To give life to someone…expectedly so….is a pretty fascinating thing.

Well, let me tell you a bit about my angel then. I'm trying to remember him, almost a year old (about 8 months) and loved to play with his new toys. Already he was walking from one couch to another. He knew how to say "mom and dad," perfectly. No such defect or disability whatsoever. He had a little trouble rolling himself up and back on his stomach, but that would all come in due time. Ven was learning how to eat larger bites of food and readily we attempted to wean him from his bottle. I loved watching TV, exploring the garden outside with me, and taking walks around our neighborhood in the new carriage, sent to us by Minnie.

One thing, Ventus loved to do the most were watching the nightly meteor showers outside our home that looked over the valley. He tried very hard to pronounce the word "meteor."

We had so many goals set for Ven to accomplish. So many things that I never imagined would come to mind for anyone. To become a _bona fide_ Keyblade master, maybe better than Terra and Aqua combined. He would train just as hard as they would, for sure! But no matter, you would always want the best for your child, even if it does mean competing with your friends! Thus, Eleaus and I had now made our rite of passage as official helicopter parents.

How was eighty something Master Xehanort, you may ask at the time, sorry I flubbed on his age? Well, we didn't know. The last time Eleaus and I ever saw him was the night of the baby shower. Probably still hidden in the shadows, too afraid then to see what our son, Terra, and Aqua would to him. Mutilate and dispense him into the Darkness, it is the fate of that old man. In the meantime, as we raised Ven, we could only hope that he would follow good morals and realize what it right in his heart and to never stray.

_**Chapt. 10 **_

"Hey dear can you get the newspaper for me?! I'm really lazy to get up," announced Eleaus.

"Shush! Ven is asleep, you wouldn't want to wake him up and have another one of those 'up till 3am putting him to sleep days' would you?" I asked.

"Ha ha, no I wouldn't Maggie, let's check on him."

My husband and I made our way to the nursery. There we found our Ven, snug as bug in a rug! He seemed almost as though he could live in that semi-subconscious state of sleep and never know what is going on around him for hours. Like Sleeping Beauty, "In angel sleep, he found repose." Ahhh…Maleficent.

As we drew near his crib, Ventus's eyes began to slowly open. A smile grew across his tiny face and barely pronounced "hi."

_**Chapt. 11**_

"Eleaus?"

"Yeah, Mag?"

"I love you….so much" I said.

"I love you too, dear, you happy with Ven?"

"So proud, he's a very quick learner."

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll be a _bona fide_ Keyblade Master once he becomes of age."

"We should wait until he is 7 to send him to Master Eraqus."

"Really? I thought age 5."

"Age 5, are you nuts? Ven will be still growing up physically, mentally, and emotionally?"

"Yeah, you're right. He'll be too young."

"Let me ask you something, Eleaus."

"What?"

"Did you know much of anything at age 7?"

"Yes, I did. My father took me guy shopping, fishing, and eventually introduced me to the Keyblade. We are raising Ventus just fine. Don't worry about a thing."

"I know. I'm just worried that Master Xehanort will come back to haunt us again."

"It's been almost 3 years, how can you be worried? From all we know maybe death took him. Which is where he should be. Or hiding away in the darkness like the old buzzard, Mag."

"Thanks for reassuring me, Eleaus. You are gifted with wisdom."

"Ven will be fine, and from the bottom of my heart, he will become 10x the man and Keyblade Master Xehanort ever was."

_**Chapt. 12**_

"Mom! MOM!"

"Huh? What is it Ven?" I asked very tiredly. I saw my little blond haired angel come to me.

"Mommy, I had a bad dream…." said Ventus, scratching his head.

"Really? What about?"

"These big hairy monsters were trying to attack me…. But I was too quick for them!" he said smiling.

"Then what was so bad? You won, Ven!" I praised.

"Well, they nearly killed me. They chased me to a big deserty cliff! I fell off the cliff, but somehow I bounced back up from the ground! How weird!?"

"Oh geez….you're thinking too much, sweetie." I rubbed his head.

"Yeah…I know."

"Why don't you go and get back to sleep its 3am."

"Okay, Mom. Tell Dad my dream so he'll understand!"

I kept my promise. Stupid…but I did, as I watched my 5 yr. Ventus run off to bed in his gray onezy.

_**Chapt 13 **_

I finally managed to pull myself out of bed after 9 straight hours of sleep.

Ventus was already up and playing with his action figures on the floor, while Eleaus was cooking pancakes. A real TREAT!

"All right Captain Justice! You won't get away the…the…hmm…robbery! Oh! But I will Batman! Ahhaah" said Ven reenacting a past episode from a Disney TV show he watched yesterday. I admired his memorization skills. I think he might be border line obsessed with that show, but you never know children's thoughts.

"Oh! Good morning, Ma!" and Ven ran over and hugged my waist.

"See Captain Justice is a bad guy! Batman is a Gooooood guy!" he said smiling up at me.

"Yes, Yes, I see, sweetie. Why don't we go and eat breakfast?" I asked.

"O-KAY!" and threw his toys on the floor absent-mindedly.

"You sure you don't want me to spoon feed you anymore?" I asked jokingly.

Ven looked sarcastically at me, "Yes, ma please? NOT!"

"Hey I was joking!"

"I know, I just wanted to annoy you and Daddy!"

So we all ate peacefully, the sun shining from our bay windows.

"Well, Ma? What do guys want to do today?"

Ventus looked up at me, eye boggling. He's always up for adventure around the place.

"I don't wanna be locked in HERE all day."

"We understand sweetie. Let's finish up breakfast and take a drive to the beach."

"Oh! COOL! Where?"

"You remember, the Destiny Islands!"

"Let's do it! I'm ready!"

And with that, Ven ate up and rushed upstairs to get his swim suit on.

Eleaus took Ventus and I on his new yacht towards the Destiny Islands. We were on the lake until we came to a portal.

"Wow, dad! You never took me here before!" shouted Ven.

"I know that, son. Cause we've only gone fishing and swimming in our home lake. I'm taking you to the beach, remember?" asked Eleaus.

"Okay! I'm all set."

"Think you can handle this?"

"Get real! I can handle anything!"

"Alright! Blast off! And since when you develop an attitude?"

Ventus smiled, "I guess since now!" He began to laugh along with my husband. I was so happy to see them both having those father-son moments. Makes me wonder how Terra is with his son….or even Richy with Aqua.

We soon made our way into the portal. My surroundings looked all blurry, in a trippy sort of way. How do I know this, you might ask? Because I was a teenager in the late 1960s and early 1970s, didn't take drugs though, but I loved the clothing. But no matter, Ventus was enamored with the Technicolor surroundings and pointed towards visible stars and meteors in space.

After 30min, the portal finally opened up to reveal a serene beach front. Clear and sunny as any place you could ever imagine. Papoo trees swaying, the water an aquamarine color, the sand as white as snow, two huge clubhouses, and the laughter of children. A perfect environment for my Ventus to perpetually live in!

"Dad! Dad! Let's go in the water first! You can be the shark and I'll be the minnow, like we play at home!" said Ven jumping energetically.

"Alright. Whatever you want to do. But I would like to do some fishing afterward. Why do you think I brought all this gear?"

A few smears of suntan lotion and those two were off. Me? I just sat back and read a book. I would go in later of course, not that I would isolate myself or be one of those typical moms that stay out of the water. As a laid back, I began to think of my parents…..the first time I practiced with my father on how to wield the Keyblade….

"_GAWD! I was purposefully knocked back, Mom! Can you believe it!?" I shouted._

"_Giving up already? Come on, Maggie! I thought you were stronger than that!" _

"_Amadeus, try to go easy on her," my mother commented. _

"_Ella, she's 13. She knows what she's doing. Besides she's gotten better since she first started practicing almost 4yrs ago." _

_I was struggled to up. No cuts just 3 bruises on my legs. I gave an angry look that shocked my father a little. _

"_Whoa, she's got the angry look going, Ella. Save that for your opponents, dear." _

"_Okay, Dad," I said struggled to get up. I was finally up on my legs again and began to charge toward my parents for Round 2. _

_We battled for about 1 hour more and then took a rest at one of our garden benches. I had my hands on my face, wiping sweat off my forehead. It was pretty hot spring day, about 88 degrees. _

_I sighed, looking down at my pretend Keyblade. My mother held her face up effortless against the wind, while my father looked toward a couple of gray clouds. Their real Keyblades had very little scratches, while mine had a bunch. _

"_Dad?!" I said. _

"_What, Mag?" asked my father. _

"_Why do you and Mom have no scratch marks?" I pouted and put my hands against my face, "I'll never learn, I can't be a Keyblade master, I make too many mistakes."_

"_Maggie, mistakes are all apart of learning. You'll just correct yourself and you'll do just fine. I was in the same spot as you when I was your age." _

_I looked up at him. _

"_Your father has a point, Mag. With age and practice time, you become more experienced. You have to push yourself to make your dreams come true," said my mother insightfully. _

"_Yeah, that's all I gotta do!" _

"_But the most important thing, Maggie….is that you have to believe in yourself," said my father. _

"_Why?" _

"_Because isn't that how people get the incentive to pursue things they love or want to do? You see, Maggie, this is why you are practicing to become a Keyblade master! Do you believe dreams come true?" _

"_Yes!" _

"_But you have to work for them also, with just the right amount of strength and courage! But I would like to stress that believing that dreams can happen is the most important thing of all. You can say that's it's almost like possessing positive self-esteem with your hardworking attitude." _

"_Wow….that's powerful. So that's a little like self-efficacy?" _

"_Exactly, self-efficacy means that you have the capability to perform well, which is believing in yourself, Maggie."_

_Something had awakened inside me. I could feel it in my fingertips. 'I could do it! I have goal, I've always had a goal!' _

_I quickly got up, "Dad! Mom! Let's practice again!" _

_My parents both looked at each other and smiled, "Well, she asked for it, Amadeus," my mother remarked. _

"_Ha, you're both gonna be sorry you messed with me!" my father said pretending to be sadistic…_

_From that point on, my entire teenage hood was dedicated to becoming a Keyblade master. I began to make friends with my new classmates, surprisingly Richy, Esmerelda, Terra Sr. and Molly. _

_Finally came exam day, at age 18. Master Eraqus stood above me and my classmates. One of them was a young man my age named Eleaus. He was a strong and muscular lad with dirty, spiky blond hair and salmon colored skin. His face seemed cheerful and upbeat. I looked a bit pathetic and skinny-looking compared to him, but could not help but imagine myself giving him a bear hug for some random reason. My parents told me it is normal to have those feelings anyway, no matter how weird they get or feel. Eleaus and I had talk to each other a little bit from time to time but we never exactly close friends. _

_Sometimes I would have random dreams about Eleaus. One of them was that he showed up out of nowhere and just kissed me for 2 minutes then walked away. I fell out bed loudly as my Mother and Father came rushing to room to find me smiling, creepily. They shook their heads and left me on the ground, as I was swooning nonstop. _

"_Today, you will be examined for the mark of mastery. Not one but two of our examinees will prevail. There are no winners, only truths. For when equal forces collide their inner nature is revealed," proclaimed Master Eraqus, who looked a lot younger back then then he did now, as I am daydreaming!_

_After 10 trails that Master Eraqus had placed, it was then time for the final test. _

_As it turned out, Eleaus and I were to face each other in combat. One us or neither of us could pass this test. In my mind, I was all out for myself and yet, minding my girly girl instincts, I was thinking, 'Let us be losers together. I'll feel better.'_

"_BEGIN!" _

_As I stared off into space, Eleaus looked at me and charged saying, 'What are you waiting for?" _

"_AHHHH! NOTHING!" as I said jumping back and then began to engage in serious combat. _

_We were pretty much at each other's throats for almost 2 hours (with five minute breaks, of course!) _

_Eventually, Master Eraqus called for a halt and summoned us both back. He gazed at my graduating class confidently. _

"_You know, I don't always do this. But in this case I am more than willing to make an exception. You all have proven yourselves to be worthy Keyblade masters!" _

_We were all dumbfounded and seconds later began to cheer wildly! _

_Master Eraqus had thrown a party in the dining hall and invited parents to commence too. As you can imagine, there was music and food, lots and lots of food, and in the end hooking up. _

"_Let us all cheer for our new heroes!" as Master Eraqus lifted a glass for my class. It was a wonderful evening, one I'll never forget. Balloons crashing down on us, paint balling, spell casting, etc. Suddenly, Eleaus had tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I could come with him for a walk. My heart went boom (yes I quoted a Beatles song), literally….I didn't know what to say. _

"_Uh…can you excuse me for a minute?" I asked. _

"_Okay," said Eleaus. _

_I ran up to my parents, completely out of breathe. _

"_Mom, Dad, Eleaus asked me out for a walk, what do I do?"_

"_Honey, why are you asking us?" pondered my mother. "Go, have fun, you are an adult, you decide for yourself." _

_I couldn't believe it. These weren't the sheltered parents I knew nine years ago. Something must be terribly wrong…but heck! A walk with a jockey-good looking guy, who would pass up such a stupendous opportunity!? Not me, no siry-bob! _

"_Then….it is OK, isn't?" I asked excited. _

"_Go! Get out of here!" my father proclaimed. "We trust you." _

_I couldn't believe it…my parents just stared at me smiling. They knew intuitively that I had found my happiness. Somehow I thought to myself, 'this is destiny.' _

_Cheesy as it sounds, Eleaus did end up falling in love with me and I too as we walked. _

"_I'm sorry, if I didn't tell you sooner, Mag." _

"_No, no, no, Eleaus, it was my fault, we both were awkward and didn't really know each other until late." _

"_Yeah, especially since we both battled each other. I didn't want to give up on you right then and there," said Eleaus. _

"_You were with me, I must confess, awkwardly once again that I have had random dreams about you…" I put my hands instantly over my mouth. STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! _

"_Why did you said that?"_

"_Because…it's not supposed to be freaking said!" _

"_Why shouldn't it? I've had dreams about you too," Eleaus said emotionless, like it was nothing. A smile crept onto his face, showing flawless white teeth. _

_I began to stroke my long brown hair, "I've been thinking about you for a while you know. It's taken me so much heartache to deny that I have feelings for a classmate I've known all this time. That's why I haven't had the courage to talk to you sooner. But I was scared you'd laugh at me." _

"_I thought I was inadequate for you. Too skinny and dorky for your athletic stature."_

"_Hey, we're all dorks in our own little way. We both became dorky Keyblade masters, right? A dork could only pursue that goal, huh?" asked Eleaus. _

"_Yeah, like I've noticed you were eying me a lot these past seven months." _

_He put an arm around my waist. My eyes turned to his. _

"_I'll take that as a proposal?" I asked. "Marriage?" _

"_You betcha," Eleaus leaned over and kissed me. Snogging all the way. _

_Both accidently and purposefully rolled down a hill as he and I were on top of each other. _

"_I love you, so much!" he said. _

"_I love you, too! We'll be dorks together, forever! Muhhahahahah." _

_We were engaged and married 2 months later. _

Amazing how time flies…I opened my eyes only to find that 10 min. had passed. Ven and Eleaus were still in the water. I ran in and toppled them both. We all tried to body surf title waves as they crept near shore. From death charge hand waves from Eleaus to hair pulling it was the best time I had in years.

"Okay, Ventus, why don't we get out of the water and try to catch some bait to go fishing," proposed Eleaus.

Ven rushed back to our chairs to get his mini net and managed to fish up 12 minnows from the shallow water. He and Eleaus walked up toward the pier to go catch some sea bass and flounder. Eleaus desired the blue bass and sand colored flounder, as always, they were his absolute favorites to have for dinner. Maybe it's a guy thing, I'll never understand it.

I suddenly remembered something that I nearly almost forgotten to tell Eleaus before we left. Eleaus had a brother that actually lived on a neighboring island not too far from the Destiny Islands' mainland...Sora. He was probably in his late forties, married not too long before. Eleaus's father Arshal had lost his first wife to cancer when Eleaus was five. Arshal remarried a woman from the Destiny Islands named Lillian and had Sora the following year.

Eleaus and Sora weren't exactly best of half-brothers, as Sora seemed to become the more entitled one of the bunch though Lillian tried her best to include Eleaus in everything they did together. It left my husband in the dark for some time. Sora seemed to be the most innately confident one of the bunch which made Arshal favor him more. Perhaps Eleaus reminded him too much of his wife before, maybe through his own personality or his eyes. Sora always thought was better at everything from rock climbing, romancing, track and field, guitar playing, and most of all becoming a Keyblade master. Arhsal had cheered Sora most of all on his academics, as would any competitive parent. Secretively, after Sora was born, Arshal began to act more abusive and beat Eleaus without Sora even knowing, probably showing his grief still in losing his first wife. Lillian was kept in the dark about Arshal's shadowed grief. That was always before Eleaus went to bed…..a topic Eleaus chose to not disclose with anyone else but me.

Good thing Sora had a way to go before graduating with Master Eraqus. Eleaus had tried time and time again to win his father's affection as he did before Sora was born. But his father's heart just wasn't in it anymore. Pretty shameful…he missed out on a beautiful son. Sora himself had said some disparaging things against Eleaus, how he could never beat him at anything or surpass him in becoming a Keyblade master. He also spread false rumors about him and his supposed "sex life" that nearly got Eleaus thrown out of the Land of Departure. Luckily, Master Eraqus was on Eleaus's side. Arshal chose not to get involved in the scandal because he thought it would damage his relationship with Sora. Lillian had stepped in to conference with Master Eraqus and stick up for Eleaus in promoting a better reputation. From then on, you can say Eleaus had a closer relationship with his stepmother than he did with his own flesh and blood.

Probably that's the reason why Eleaus chose to marry me…simply to leave his home and start a new life without his brother or father. Eleaus kept in touch with Lillian always and she was always welcome to see the baby. Eleaus saw in me a person that could appreciate himself and give him the love his father never gave him afterward or even his real mother for that matter. As for Sora, he never showed up at our wedding and never had the need to. Why should he? He was never close with his brother. After Eleaus and I married, Lillian divorced Arshal and continued to live on the Destiny Islands. Arshal had disappeared off and we did not know exactly where he was. Probably guilty now for what he has done to drive the two brothers apart. Most of all, he and Sora never got to meet Ventus. Sora's nephew and Arshal's grandson. Eleaus rarely mentions his brother and only talks to him once a year. I consider it a strained relationship. As for his father….Eleaus told me, 'forget it.' Lillian came to visit two times a month at our house. She had been a grandmotherly figure to Ventus very much, but I wish he could see his grandfather. To make Eleaus even more proud, was that his brother did not bother to have children once he married two years ago.

"_Ventus does not need that competition. I know his sons or daughters will strive to cut Ven down. I don't want that to happen," Eleaus had told me. "I hate to be harsh about my own flesh and blood, but Sora doesn't stand a chance." _

"_What do you want to do, kill him?" I asked my husband. _

"_OF COURSE NOT! HE IS MY FAMILY, ISN'T HE, UNFORTUNATELY…LET HIM LIVE HIS PETTY EXISTENCE WITH GOD KNOWS WHO!" _

"_Alright, whatever you say dear, but you don't know if he has changed. You haven't seen him in over twenty seven years. You should visit him. He might just need you someday. Maybe even repay you." _

"_Repay ME? You must be joking, Maggie. How could HE, that little twerp, repay me? Through self-sacrifice, I highly doubt it." _

"_What about his children? What if they are different from him? Maybe even lifelong dependent friends of Ventus." _

"_Crimney! Unrealistic! The most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, they'll hurt him, make a fool out of Ven." _

"_Ventus has himself, Terra, and Aqua. No one else. His heart is with us and them. Maybe even the girl of his dreams someday soon." _

Well, you KH fans. This is only the beginning in which my Eleaus was completely taken aback according to future events I will mention later on.

Anyway, back to where we left off. I was leaning up on a palm tree just watching Ventus and Eleaus bond. Talking about fishing, Keyblades, television shows, superheroes, Terra, and Aqua, and help with homework. Glad Ventus had Eleaus than Sora as a father. I can't tell you how excited Eleaus was to be a father. He wanted his son to have a balanced life, one he never cherished as a child with his father. Eleaus told me that Ventus is entitled but not completely as show-offy or annoying as Sora. Eleaus thinks that Sora made more enemies than friends when he had troubled him in the past.

Eventually, Eleaus and Ventus ended up with 2 flounders and 1 blue sea bass. Pretty impressive…that's a 3 night split dinner! We all found our way back down to the main beach to build sand castles for the next hour and half. Ventus's was the biggest of Eleaus and mine.

"Ha ha ha! Beat you!" said Ven rolling on the sand laughing, his hair full of mini shells.

"I know you did! You have been for the past several times!" laughed my husband and did a power-nuggy with Ven.

"Hey, guys look at the sunset," I said.

"Wow! The sky is soooo….orangey and blue and pink and…. (Sighs) yellow!" shouted Ven.

The sun was grand and eye opening to look at. All of us on one beach towel, just being lazy and do-nothing as the sun slowly set and night took her form in a blanketed, black sky. We could faintly see meteors and comets flying across the sky creating a show spectacle for other families like ourselves to look at. We could also see Orion's Belt, the Big and Little Dippers, and many other Greek symbols and godly formations in the stars.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah, Ven?"

"Are all those stars up there other worlds?"

"Yes, all of those stars up there….they're all connected in one great sky, just like this world and ours."

"Really?"

"All one sky, Ventus, one destiny. You must never forget that," my husband said encouragingly and hugged him tight.

"I won't, Dad. I promise," said my angel.

Ven looked up at Eleaus and both resumed to looking up at the stars.

Now I could be wrong…but I thought I saw a group of stars shaped in the formation of a heart with a keyhole above my husband and Ventus. Maybe it's just destiny, I could have been wrong, but who knows…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapt 14**

One day, Ventus did something that I'll never forget.

"Hey, Mom! Is the laptop on?" he shouted.

He decided to look up a song on YouTube and attempted to sing "When You Wish upon a Star." Eleaus and I peered behind Ven.

"What are you doing, hun?"

"I'm going to try and sing something."

"Since when did you start singing?"

"Ummm….never. I want to try it though. It's a start!"

"Okay. What song do you want to sing?"

"That song from Pinocchio!"

Ven's face lit up.

"Sure, play it, so we can hear it."

In fact, it one of the most memorable things I know of from Ven's childhood.

"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, ANY THING, you heart desires will come to you…" sang Ventus soulfully.

As he continued to sing, Eleaus and I stood there amazed. We had never heard Ven sing before. A voice of a cherub, soft, catchy, and not too grading.

"Let's sign him up for lessons, Mag."

"Gottcha, babe."

"Like a bolt out on the blue. Fate steps in and sees you through….When you wish upon a star, your dreams….COME TRUE!"

As Ventus clicked the stop button, he stared at Eleaus and me in a look full of anticipation.

"What do you think, pretty huh?"

Eleaus and I began to cry, discussing plans for voice lessons, and that the rest is history.

Pretty soon, Ven began to write his own songs! Eleaus helped with the melodies and Ven was always good at lyrics. From time I started my Keyblade wielding classes, Eleaus was an avid guitar player.

"Maggie! Check out this song Ven wrote, It's called…Potato Soup! Silly huh?" explained Eleaus.

Ventus came in rushing with a ukulele singing _In My Life_ by the Beatles.

"OH I KNOW I'LL NEVER LOSE AFFECTIOOOOOOONNAHHH!" and began to strum hard!

Ven started running around the house totally immersed in his music.

"DAANNAAA DAAANNNA Can't touch this! DAAA NAAA NAA!"

"Maggie, I think we just gave Ven a new avenue for skill, other than Keyblade wielding!"

"No, Eleaus, he discovered it himself."

Really wonder what talents Terra and Aqua possessed. Nah, it's doesn't matter, everyone's different with their strengths and talents. Ventus just happened to be one of the first singing Keyblade bearers! Maybe he would become a pop singer or something. Life is so unexpected….

"BUT PEOPLE AND THINGS THAT WENT BEEEE-FORE! I KNOW I'LL OFTEN STOP AND THINK ABOUT THEM. IN MYYYYYY LIFE, I LOVE YOU MORE!" sang Ven and winkled at the air toward me.

**Chapt. 15**

Summer vacation was about to end. Ven was going on into the 2nd grade. I couldn't believe it! New experiences, new friends, etc. Ven had acquaintances, but no really close friends.

"Ma, do you think I'll make friends this year?"

"Don't worry about that Ven. Friends will come to you, if you believe it in your heart and relax of course," I told him encouragingly.

"Okay! I'll try it!"

And with that, my baby ran off to Master Eraqus's preparatory Keybearer elementary school. I stood there admiring his courage to go off and see new ventures. The only true friends I think he's ever had were Terra and Aqua, but they were so much older than him and he could get left behind in their own escapades. Ventus needed peers of his own age.

"Awww…mom do Isa and I have to go? We miss our old school…" a voice cried out.

I looked behind to see a red-spiky hair boy complaining with his own mother a couple of feet away from me. A blue hair boy was walking patiently unlike his hotheaded friend behind him. I smiled at the three of them walking toward me hoping to strike up conversation.

"Do you know where the sign in sheet is?"

"Oh, it is straight through those doors in the homeroom office," I said.

"Thank you. Oh! Are you here for 2nd grade too?"

"Yes, I am. My name is Maggie. I have a son named Ventus that just ran in not too long ago."

"Wonderful! My name is Lisa. This is my son Lea and his friend Isa. We're fairly new to this district. Lea in particular is still adjusting."

"Mahhhhhhhh, don't tell people that."

"Lea, lighten up. It could be fun. We can make new friends. We still have each other, you know."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go find that Ventus fella, that lady said."

"Sure, you two. I'm sure Ventus will love to have you both as good company," I said.

"Wow, I feel better already! Let's go Isa!"

Both boys ran into the school without looking back at myself or Lisa.

"Lea's a handful. He truly is. Can be hotheaded at times, if you know what I mean? Just like his father. Luckily when he's around him, he's pretty mature."

"Ah, it's just boys being boys."

"Isa's parents well…we don't know what happened to them. Robin and I found him in a foster home. Lea was 3 years old, same age as Isa, and was excited to have a new brother/friend in the house."

"My gosh, really?" I asked.

"He can be a bit on the quiet side. But he does open up a lot with Lea especially when there is less people around."

"That's great. It's good that he has somebody to share his feelings with, if he's had a bad day. I wish I had siblings."

"Well, I gotta go, Maggie. I'll see you when I see you. After all, we're friends now right?"

"Okay….Lisa," I said back. "I'll see you, I guess tomorrow. It'll be Tuesday! Maybe get the boys together too, if things work out?"

"That's sounds great! You're awesome, Maggie."

**Chapt. 16**

As it turned out Ventus's first day back to school was a blast! He said that Lea and Isa became instant friends when his teacher brought them together for an ice breaker activity.

"Lea is sooooooooo cool! He has his own catch phrase!"

"Like what dear?"

Ven put a finger to his head, almost in a gunpoint formation believe it or not, "'GOT IT MEMORIZED?' Master Eraqus was laughing really hard at that one! Oh, and Isa will tell me all these random things I never knew before!" said Ven.

"That's great! I'm glad the three of you got along well. Looks like you have Terra, Aqua, Isa, and Lea as a support group. You got friends, Ven. Don't discount that," I reassured him, "A few friends is all you really need in your life, don't think of it as a competition for attention."

"I know that now, Mom."

_He is so innocent_, I thought to myself. I felt as though he had everything going for him. Master Eraqus would train him and his classmates well. Hopefully, they would be strong enough to someday defeat Master Xehanort.

Eventually, Lisa and I began to go back and forth quite a bit and had the boys over many times. Eleaus and Robin would drive the boys to many places such as the zoo, DisneyWorld, believe it or not, the Destiny Islands, his own fishing lake, the mall, and even to a nearby, unused stadium to practice Keyblade wielding. Even Terra and Aqua tagged along to babysit them. Lea and Isa fell completely in love with Aqua. The first time Ven introduced them to Terra, they were a bit intimidated. But eventually, Aqua reassured them that he was no threat. All five of them…a perfect team. All hearts as one in those experiences together. Little did I know that it wouldn't always be a perfect relationship, but I will get into detail with later about that. One things for sure, you can never truly forget your friends.

One day, as I was tending the garden, as Ven was playing Donkey Kong in the living room with Terra, Aqua came up to me.

"Miss Maggie?"

"Yes, Aqua, you look a bit discouraged about something? What's wrong?"

"Awww….ummm…you see…." Aqua looked around to see if anyone was watching or hearing us.

Aqua pulled me by the arm into the dining room and shut the door. It was a pretty spacious area to have a private conversation.

"Maggie, I think I'm in love with Terra," and cupped her hands over her mouth.

I couldn't believe it, all this time and she never told me. But after all, it takes some people a while to finally confess their honest to God feelings about someone.

"Did you tell, Terra?"

"No."

"How long have you had these feelings for?"

"Seven years."

"Does Master Eraqus know?"

"I think he already knew," Aqua said smiled.

"Do his parents know?"

"Same as Master Eraqus, but they haven't told Terra."

"What a system."

"Impressive, isn't it? I have such trusting parents."

"Did or Do you still have dreams about him?"

"…..Yes."

"Girlfriend, you are just like me, when I was around your age. Obviously I was a little younger when Eleaus and I decided to tie the knot. But you and Terra have many years ahead of you to decide that!"

"You really think so? So I'm not weird?"

"OF COURSE NOT! You are beautiful inside and outside. If Terra accepts that then that's all that matters. I think you both are perfect for each other."

"Oh, Maggie. That's awfully enthusiastic of you to say that. But Terra, treats me almost as if I'm one of his own guy friends. I'm confused and I feel a little discouraged."

"Aqua, then maybe you should just treat him as a friend too. The crush will die down, but look at other guys. Terra may or may not come around…you don't know the future, none of us do. I thought Eleaus would be the last person I'd marry because we were never true friends throughout Keyblader sessions. Terra maybe the same, like I said, you don't know yet…"

"Sounds frightening and exciting at the same time. I'll keep my hopes up somehow. For the time being, Terra is a dear childhood friend of mine. I feel like if I tell him, it would hurt our friendship."

"Oh, Aqua. You are so young and yet just the right age to realize this phenomenon. Just enjoy and bask in the company you have and you'll find the one!"

Aqua looked down at her hands and then clenched her fists together and looked at me.

"You're right. I do have a chance. Thank you, Maggie for having this talk with me," said Aqua.

She hugged me and left the dining room without turning around. I always believed guys were always ambiguous with their emotions. Maybe Terra was trying to mask his feelings for Aqua too. And believe it or not I was right….

About a month after I had spoken with Aqua, Terra had tapped Eleaus on the shoulder about the same thing. Eleaus had told me all about Terra's feelings for Aqua.

_"Mr. Eleaus, I know you are an honest man. But can you promise not to tell anyone?" asked Terra. _

_ "I swear not to tell, Terra. I have known you and your family too long," remarked Eleaus. _

_ "You're wonderful, Eleaus. I knew I could count on you. Here's the deal." _

_ "Spill the beans." _

_ "Well….I'm in love." _

_ "With who?" _

_ "Aww….I can't tell you. She and I have just been, well, childhood friends." _

_ "Soooo?" _

_ "….I'm in love with Aqua." _

_ "YOU ARE WHAT? Terra this is stupendous, the best thing that has happened to you in your young life! Besides striving to become a Keyblade master of course!" _

_ "Really? So it's not weird that I have these feelings, even for a childhood friend…..I had these dreams and like….." _

_ "Yes?" _

_ "I'm gonna marry her...someday." _

_ Eleaus was speechless. _

_ "Do your parents know about this?" _

_ "No, I haven't told them any of my feelings. My father and mother tried pondering me, but I just tell them when the time is right I'll tell whom I love most." _

_ "You're gonna marry her or you will marry her?" _

_ "Both. She's brilliant and beautiful inside and outside. But the problem is that we know each other so well, it's not a surprise anymore. But I still do love her." _

_ "Does she have the same feelings for you, do you think?" _

_ "I don't know. She treats me as just one of her friends in the crowd. So I just act the same way around her. No problem, but it is troubling. Girls are so complicated." _

_ Eleaus chuckled, "Terra, you are exactly like I was when I was your age. It took me time to finally talk and interact with my female classmates. Maggie and I were never true friends until our late teens before passing as Keyblade masters. When I fought her during combat, I knew and she knew too that we were meant for each other. All this time, never showing it…but deep down, we felt it all these years. Not too long after that we got engaged and were married." _

_ "But you both knew what you wanted. But Aqua and I don't…" _

_ "Terra, you don't know that yet. Maybe Aqua is just as shy to share her feelings as you are. You don't have to prove to other people that you both are together. Just move at your pace, if you choose to start a relationship with someone. Girls are the same way. You want so much to appreciate others, when you forget that you have to appreciate yourself first. You must both have confidence that you both can make it. Focus on what is on the inside of a person, not the outside." _

_ "But how will I know she'll love me back?" _

_ "This sounds faintly like Beauty and the Beast, you know Terra?"_

_ "How?" _

_ "Well, the Beast first had to learn to love and earn love in return. Aqua will only be the one for you, if she loves you back. You are very much like the Beast in personality. And Aqua is Belle. She's bright, competitive, powerful, pretty, and just right for you Terra. You possess a sensitive side that no other man can replicate. Aqua will come to you because you have that characteristic. If you didn't possess it, you wouldn't be thinking of her or speaking to me right now." _

_ Terra paused and looked up at the ceiling. Twiddling his thumbs back and forth. Eleaus was awaiting an answer. _

_ "You're right! You're ABSOLUTELY right! Aqua will come to me! I'll keep an open-mind, Eleaus. I swear won't let you down on this one!"_

_ "Let me down? You're not letting anyone down in living up to these feelings." _

_ "Y-Yeah! That's it! I will win the girl of my dreams! It may or may not be Aqua, but the future is gray and there is still time! We can just be friends and once we ARE ready to share, then we shall arrange a possible marriage!" _

_ "That's the spirit, Terra. Now you are thinking like a man!" _

As I watched Ventus and Terra play outside, I began to wonder to myself whether or not Ven would find love someday. I nearly forgot what it was like to fall in love with a childhood sweetheart. Nahhhh….Ven's too young to know about love. What would he know at 8yrs old about girls?

I could have been more wrong back then, my KH friends. Let me tell a little bit about my Ventus's escapes in finding a "girl friend."

"Why are you worrying about this stuff dear?" I asked Ven.

"BE-CAAAAAUUUSE! Lea and Isa will think I'm weird if I don't get experience with a girl by 5th grade!" he remarked.

"Experience? Where did they hear that?"

"Oh….lots of shows on TV."

"Ventus Lexeaus, you are just 8yrs old! You and your friends have a lot of time to date girls."

"I know that, Mom. I just want to have a girl as a friend. Boys in my class always remark that girls have 'kootis' but that's just plain weird," Ven said looking puzzled.

"That's very true if you all are in elementary school."

"Besides, at lunch time, Master Eraqus told me that all the tables either contain all boys or all girls and if there is any cross over they'll get laughed at."

"Well, someday there will be quite a bit of crossing over…" I giggled to myself.

"Why are you laughing?" Ven asked smiling.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking of something random, but I can't exactly put my finger on it."

"Awwww….I hope you find it."

"Anyway Ven, you can have girls as your friends in school. It's totally normal. I had guy friends in school too. But I had as many girls as friends as I did guys. Now if you want to go out with a girl, then you should ask her parents first!"

"WOW! COOL! I WANNA TRY! I WANNA TRY!" Ven started to jump up and down and got out his ukulele and began to jam.

I pulled him off the top of the couch, "Whoa! Slow down, park ranger! First you have to be mature and fair in front of a girl. I think Daddy can show you how to do that!"

"Really! Wow! I'll go ask him!"

And with that, my angel was off to find Eleaus to continue his lessons on the introduction to kiddy dating. He and Eleaus talked and demonstrated things for about 2 hours. Ven just sat there and soaked everything Eleaus had to say about dates.

Later in the evening, Eleaus came up to me and said, "I think he has the potential. He's got the looks and the wit. He's got talent, an impressive future. He told me boys in his class are a bit jealous of his singing and spiky hair. Even Lea was saying that he wish his hair was more controlled. Isa, well he wishes he could sound like a pop star. Girls just laugh at these petty accusations. Master Eraqus, Ven told me, is just amazed and surprised at all this. Ventus never knew he'd be that popular in class."

"Really? Ven really got in depth with you."

"I'm a guy, Maggie. He connects more with me in that matter!"

"Funny and not funny at the same time, dear."

"Who knows who Ventus will meet someday. Hopefully, someone special."

"Yeah, that'll be nice."

In fact, it wouldn't be long until Ven found this special someone.

Whom may you ask...a mysterious girl who always sat in the back of the class named…Namine.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapt. 17**

Ventus had told Eleaus close to Thanksgiving weekend about who was his potential and first ever crush.

Namine was a girl who had just moved into the Land of Departure almost a year ago. She said that she didn't remember where she first came from though. It was creepy, yet fascinating to Ventus. She was tinier than him with long blond hair and blue eyes about the same shade as his. Her voice was calm and serene, which Ven told me could make him, "listen to her all day." All of this at the age of 8, laugh out loud with that people.

She once told Ven that she wasn't exactly human, but a mage. Ventus was fascinated by much of this news. But he told me that he was still enamored by her, in all her mysteriousness. She had one friend in the class, but mostly kept to herself. Namine had friendly relations with Lea and Isa. Ven had told Eleaus that if she was ever under the weather she can always come to him. Ventus said that she smiled at this remark and they soon became fast friends.

Namine came from a two parent household up in the mountains about a 1 hr. away from school. She has one older sister named Narele (soon to become the Nobody form of Larxene). Very upbeat and a little bit on the competitive side when interacting with her sister. But Narele and Namine understood each other extremely well as sisters and always found time to be together Namine said once to me.

Let's just Narele didn't really have lot of respect or self-confidence when she was in Master Eraqus's class. She was a bit of a bully toward many, but never showed it towards Namine. Narele was a very prideful character and always strove to put people down if they got in her way, the main reason why she was banished from the Land of Departure school. She didn't care about learning about the light or about the Keyblade, but rather was forced into it by her parents. She was rebel of the household and chose late nights out rather than focusing on her work. Of course Namine would not know of any of this as Narele acting innocent and less domineering in front of her. She used to date this one feisty young man named Demy (soon to become the Nobody form of Demyx). A guitar player/punk in Twilight Town. A really chick magnet until he hooked up with Narele. They seemed perfect for each other…the James Dean-eske types. After about 3 yrs. things started to go downhill and Narele was getting demanding and Demy reacted through taking narcotics to keep himself peppy and steroids to keep himself buff and manly for her. They broke up after Narele had called him "inadequate." Since then, the two have held a grudge against each other with Demy always referring to Narele as a "witch." He stopped taking drugs after he broke up with her. Good thing, my Ventus would never know of all this while he had Namine to keep him company.

Ven would tell Eleaus and I that none of the other girls in his class were as interesting or attractive as Namine. Master Eraqus said in a parent interview with Eleaus and I that Ventus has become quite the sophisticated one with women.

"He is on good terms with Lea and Isa of course. They practice and joke around together over God knows what. Ven is just really picky about the girls he talks to. Namine, he talks to most of all. She doesn't mind it, even if it makes the other girls pretty jealous. Almost like she's hanging out with royalty or some famous pop singer. Boys tell me and Terra that they wish they could be Ven and get all the girls. I have to send the girls sometimes to Aqua to counsel them on their feelings. It's very peculiar. Kids these days…"

"Really? I never knew Ven, Lea, and Isa would cause this much trouble…." I said and Eleaus put a hand on his forehead.

"Maggie, Eleaus, it's not trouble at all! Everyone will get over it…it's just kids being kids. Ven is himself, but he just possesses charisma. Maybe it's his personality or demeanor."

"Well that's what you get for having good parents!" I stood up proudly. I felt a bit stupid saying that afterward. I have become quite the spunky one with regard to kids.

Master Eraqus laughed at my antics. Eleaus pulled me down gently, smiling up at me.

"Dear, we are proud parents, let's not boast about it!" he said.

"Alright…" I said quickly and shut my mouth for the rest of the meeting.

For the next two years, Ventus, Namine, Lea, and Isa were their own little support group. Made Narele a bit jealous that Namine was spending all her time with the boys. Terra and Aqua….well, they were to themselves as they were pleased of Ven's progress. As 4th grade was just around the corner, Master Eraqus was beginning to introduce some intensive material to the students. Nine-ten years old he felt was the prime age especially for children like Ventus to learn to use the Keyblade. All of them Namine, Isa, and Lea and the others would be tomorrow's heroes to balance the light and darkness in our universe.

"Wow, Mom! 4th grade already, I'm sooooo ready to start with Master Eraqus. He said to us the last day of school that our training would intensify!" shouted my angel.

"I know! And you had a great summer too! 9 weeks in Disneyworld and Toon Town …With Namine, Isa, and Lea. You guys really had a blast and visiting all those restaurants from Tony's Italian Cuisse to Lefou's Buffett. Isa seemed to really admire Gaston…." I remembered.

"Ha ha ha. Gaston tried to hit on Aqua and Namine, but Terra and I stood up for them. All of us went gaga on the rides."

"Well, now that that's over with, time for a new year. How's your relationship with Namine?"

"Maaaaaahhhhh….we're fine. Nothing romantic or kootish. Lea and Isa should be here. We're meeting Namine in homeroom."

Ven was pretty ambiguous with his emotions over Namine throughout the summer time. He was really optimistic about having a girlfriend for 2nd and 3rd grade. But ever since the summer before 4th, his emotions seemed to have plateaued….I was thinking puberty? I was not sure. Eleaus told me that sometimes boys once they reach middle school enter a blasé of emotions toward girls. They tend to stick amongst themselves until high school, when dating would mostly likely start up again. Ventus just treated her as one of the guys, but he still cared about her. I never realized this before…I guess it was normal. Hormones shut off I guess….I could be wrong. Every time I asked Ven of liking Namine a lot, he just brushed it off. Anyway, I watched my angel run off to class once more.

I returned home at around 9:30am to begin doing dishes. Things seemed pretty boring around the house since Eleaus had left around 7:30 for work and Ven at the Land of Departure. I suddenly realized that it was almost Ven's birthday. I had to schedule it as soon as possible because it was in two days, September 23rd. I couldn't believe it….ten years to the day that Eleaus and I became parents. We would have to list potential guests…but who? I would have to wait until Ven and Eleaus came home.

I walked out into the garden and somehow or another my Keyblade popped out of thin air. I began to fiddle and practice fighting with it for no apparent reason at all. I practiced all different combos sometimes even using my abnormally large tomatoes as enemies. Why would my Keyblade appear now? It had not appeared since Ven was born. Was something terrible about to happen that the light was calling me now?

_Nonsense _I thought.

I allowed my Keyblade to disappear again if I needed it again. Soon afterward, I picked up Ventus and waited until Eleaus came home from work. Dinner and then bedtime. Nothing to worry about, Ven would be with us forever.

Eleaus and I tucked Ven in bed.

"Hey, guys…"

"Yes, Ven," Eleaus and I said.

"We'll always be together right?"

"YES, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE!" I said quickly.

I hugged Ventus tightly. Then after a minute let him go. Ventus looked at me puzzled and turned his attention to Eleaus.

"Well, he won't always be with us. He's gotta be independent someday, soon, Maggie. After all there's 16 and 21 and then he's a _bone fide_ Keyblade master traveling the worlds. He'll be just like Terra and Aqua," said my husband insightfully.

"That's right. I'll always love you, guys! I'll never forget you….ever. I'll come home to everybody and share my adventures with you someday! You have to let me go at some point, Mom," said Ven.

I looked startled at him. He has the same attitude and demeanor as Amadaeus. Maybe he'll even be as wise as him someday. He would be proud of his grandson. My mother, Ella, she would be just as nurturing for Ven. But Ventus had all those characteristics.

"Goodnight!" Ven whispered quietly as Eleaus and I walked out the door.

"_You think you have the perfect life, Maggie." _

"_Who is that?" _

"_Ah, but shielding yourself from me will protect you and your family? All light and no darkness at all?" _

"_Xehanort!" _

"_I call that ignorance to your own fate! To Ventus's fate. Allowing him to grow up without ever knowing what was to become of him in the future. You people are as petty as I thought." _

"_You'll never get away with this!" _

"_HE WILL BECOME THE X-BLADE! YOUR FATHER WRECKED THIS HAVOC ON YOU NOT ME. IT WAS HIM THAT BROUGHT THIS CURSE ON HIS OWN GRANDSON." _

"_US? You're risking an apocalypse on the entire universe because of us?"_

"_Oh no, Maggie. Not just you I have sewn up the seeds for others you value most dear. Trust me, I've made certain of that. Starting with that brother of Eleaus's. How should I say….Sora?"_

"_WHAT IS THIS X-BLADE?" _

_Master Xehanort soon came out of nowhere….and rushed in a ghostly form in front of my face._

I woke up at 4am, startled as ever. I looked to see Eleaus sleeping soundly, his arm around my waist. I rushed out of bed to find Ventus gone. I screamed at the top of my lungs. I ran up and down the hallways calling his name. Not in the living room, kitchen, garden, dining or living room….

"WHERE THE F*** CAN HE BE!"

I looked all over the house, my hair in huge knots. Suddenly out of the corner of my eye, I saw two little kids at the bottom of the house hill. A meteor shower was occurring. There they were within the bushes….I couldn't be sure, but I thought I cause a glimpse of the two children starting to and eventually began kissing as the fifth meteor strike the ground far away. The boy had his hands to the girl's head and the girl toppled onto the boy fiercely. The girl looked like Namine…could the boy have been my Ventus? No, Ven would never do that…there's no way Ventus would do something like that….would he lie to me? How many nights had been doing this? Was I losing him?

"_That's not Ven,"_ I thought.

I began to walk back to my door, a feeling of disgust began to invade me. Was Ven kissing up to me all this time and telling Eleaus things I never knew?

_Right, I'll ask the kid in the morning. 10 yrs. old…what could you know at 10? Would he run away someday and become evil?_ I became even more upset with Eleaus….a shadow seemed to pass through my mind as I marched up the stairs.

"_That's right, maybe Ventus never trusted you, you were too nice, to incompetent to understand him. He'll turn against you, this is just the beginning." _

I screamed at the top of my lungs. My fists clenched at the sides. I looked around me, but no one was there….maybe it was my sub-conscious or mind was playing tricks on me. I saw a picture of Master Xehanort in the far corner of the living room and quickly broke the glass frame and used my Keyblade to incinerate it. Then I proceeded to destroy everything in the garden. What was once beautiful and majestic was now annihilated….nothing but piles of ice, burned flowers, rubble….

There I was on my knees….a stoic face, trying to hold back my tears. Was it my sub-conscious or something else beginning to act on me? Was my own heart becoming possessed by darkness?

_No…nonsense…this is not real…..this is just my sub-conscious acting on me….there is no light…there is no darkness…there is only human fault_…(as I did this, little did I know that I was incinerating the fence and the whole bottom floor of the house).

I heard Eleaus scream and fall down flights of stairs the whole bottom floor on fire….He broke out of a small window, cuts all across his body. I rushed to him and cured him, and we both put out the fire with the spells of Blizzard. Both of us were out of breathe. I looked behind…and there stood Ventus holding Namine's hand. Namine began to slowly cry and Ventus stood there with eyes and mouth wide open.

Eleaus put an arm around me shoulders, "Maybe it's time you go to bed first while I watch you to sleep."

**Chapt. 18**

"H-H-How could you….." Ven said wearily.

"Maggie, I think you've completely lost it….what bug got into you?" asked my husband.

"I was just…I mean was thinking….I…I…." I stammered.

I began to clench my fists and saw red before me.

"I DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! IT WAS MASTER XEHANORT, HE PLAYED WITH MY MIND!"

"Master Xehanort is far away and probably dead, Mag," Eleaus pleaded holding Ventus and Namine tight.

I was breathing heavily….the Keyblade still in my hands.

"You've lied to me! All this time! You've snogged and fooled around with God knows who…and you never told me. You've been telling everything to Eleaus and never to me! Thinking I was too stupid!"

"WHAT? NO! THAT'S NOT TRUE I LOVE YOU! I JUST-JUST THOUGHT YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND MY FEELINGS….I REALLY LOVE NAMINE….AND I LOVE DADDY AS MUCH AS I DO-" Ventus attempted to say before I cut him off.

"That's your excuse, huh? For leaving me out of the picture…Master Xehanort intends to have you for something…something drastic…"

Ventus paused. As if he knew what I had been thinking of…was he aware of his fate…did Eleaus tell him something amiss…was I the one who was unaware and ignorant of my child's feelings all this time…did he know about his grandfather and grandmother's adventures all those years ago…?

"What did you hear?" asked Ventus beginning to frown.

"You are some sort of weapon…some kind of X-BLADE!" I shout falling to the ground.

Ven put his hand to his heart fast. I tried as best I could to put my neurotic mind back to normal.

"Ven, what are you doing? You can't possibly believe her?" asked Namine. A very inappropriate time to ask such questions.

I stood up, still the Keyblade was clenched in my hands and pointed it at her, "WHO ASKED YOU?"

Namine screamed and suddenly Ventus drew his own wooden Keyblade.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" he shouted. "I'M NOT SOME DARK EXPERIMENT! NOR DO I INTEND FOR MASTER XEHANORT TO CONTROL ME!"

"DID YOU HAVE ANY PART IN TELLING HIM THIS ELEAUS?" I argued and pointed the Keyblade at my husband.

"As much as this is hard to swallow, dear….Yes," Eleaus answered and put a hand to his chin stroking his goatee.

"WHY, ELEAUS? WHY?"

"Curiosity. You know how kids are…looks like you really underestimated and short changed Ventus."

"ME? We both did our duty to shelter the child! It was our mission to save our skins! Oh why did we ever HAVE CHILDREN!"

Ventus and Namine just stared in utter horror at the scene transpiring.

"Mom, I love you! DON'T GET ANGRY PLEASE! YOU AREN'T LIKE THIS I KNOW YOU AREN'T!"

Eleaus rushed over to me and kept me from convulsing and shaking, the Keyblade still clenched in my fingers.

"I-I-I-I'm alright," I lied.

I looked straight at my own son with angry, possessed feeling eyes.

"Xehanort has made his purpose clear and I cannot fail to keep him from destroying anymore worlds…."

"What do you mean…" asked Namine. "You don't mean…" She gasped and looked at Ven.

Namine clenched Ventus's hand. Ven looking ever more terrified.

"Forgive me…BUT YOU MUST EXIST NO MORE!" I charged and began to attack Ventus with a fireball.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" my husband shouted and used a shield to block both my son and Namine.

"Eleaus step aside…." I said with a dead-panned expression.

"No, I won't! It's like you always said, Maggie. Children are always a first priority."

I then began to feel a certain sensation or channel of something that felt like water was beginning to flow through my veins.

"_Has the darkness taken you, Maggie?" said a voice within me or was it coming from the outside. _

"Who's there?" I called.

A portal suddenly appeared…Eleaus, Ventus, and Namine turned their heads...There in the flesh was Master Xehanort….grinning evilly as ever. With a snap of a finger the whole sky began to turn a greenish blackish color. Armies of creatures began to appear over the sides of the mountains over the valley and a blue moon in the shape of a heart hung above us. All of us soon vanished into a portal of darkness toward another dimension…

We finally landed in what happened to be the Keyblade Graveyard, myself, Eleaus, Namine and Ven.

"YOU!" shouted Ventus. "You're the one that messed with my mother's mind!"

"Did I, boy? It was your own mother's stubbornness and clinging behavior to accept your true fate! And I wasn't wrong? Was I Maggie?" said Master Xeahnort.

"We weren't blind, Xehanort and surely not Namine. We knew all along what you were planning in store for Ventus. I myself along with the help of Master Eraqus have done well to prepare our son for any danger…" Eleaus said triumphantly almost coming nose to nose with Xehanort.

_Eraqus _I thought…._he lied to me_. _He kept this from me so I wouldn't get worried. What else had Eleaus been keeping from me?_

"Eraqus, you say? He is weak for Ventus….train with me, and together we shall rule the universe, let darkness take over as the presiding power. Become the X-BLADE!"

"NEVER!" Ven shouted and all of the sudden a real Keyblade had appeared in my son's hand. His expression was invigorated and angry. Namine herself possessed a yellow, red and blue painted Keyblade with flowers. Eleaus drew out his Keyblade and I still clenched mine, useless on how to properly intervene in this fight after my "episode."

"Then so be it….get them…Sora," commanded Master Xehanort smiling with snake like eyes.

"SORA?" asked Eleaus.

A tall man with spiky brownish, black hair stepped out onto the field. He wore a black and red suit with his own Keyblade. His eyes were not the usual green color, Eleaus spoke of, but rather a golden brown.

"So, Brother? Are you ready to meet your doom?" asked Sora speaking in two different voices.

"Wait, you're not my brother!" shouted Eleaus. He noticed that Master Xehanort was waving his hand in incantation-like form, leading to possessing one's heart. Master Xehanort standing patiently in the background. Namine and Ventus were geared to attack any second.

"E—Eleaus….this isn't me….please….understand, Eleaus…" said Sora weakly.

Eleaus gasped. Ventus was stunned at what was becoming of his former half-uncle.

"You, little children. Sora has become a brilliant mind-slave of my own. You said so yourself, Eleaus, that you never cared for your brother. So why not hand him over toward SOMEONE WHO WILL?" cackled Master Xehanort.

Eleaus did not know what to say. Revenge can get you only so far…He still held his Keyblade in the air, but could not make a move against his brother.

"If you wish to see your brother again, you hand over your "Little Angel" to me," surmised Master Xehanort. "Am I right, Maggie?"

I was defeated, nothing was left within me….an idiot of a parent who had failed miserable to protect Ven and follow my parents' orders. I said nothing back to balding devil.

"We won't give up without a fight!" shouted Namine, "Just try to eliminate us, well strike back harder." Ventus began to charge first, but Eleaus held him back and went for Sora and Master Xehanort. He soon shifted the plateaus of the Keyblade Graveyard to thwart Eleaus's attack.

"Sora, destroy them…kill them all, but bring me Ventus!" commanded Master Xehanort.

"T-T-That's….get….out….of my….(gaining composure) That's an order, I will not turn down for my life!" said Sora.

The fighting pursued as countless shots of magic and fireballs filled the arena of plateaus and mountain tops. I had never seen anyone, especially bring out his strength so diligently and forcefully as this one night. That ripe innocence that shrouded him since he was baby was gone. I guess Ven was left with no choice but to grow up…quickly. Did he have a normal, NORMAL childhood that I supplied for him or did Eleaus or Eraqus attempt to screw it up for me? Ven was doing phenomenal work with holding back Sora from Eleaus. Eleaus was too preoccupied with battling Master Xehanort than to hurt his own brother. Namine was aiding Ventus's effort by firing spells and curses against the fiendish old man. Somehow or another, I had to get up and face my past and my parents' past….there was no running away now. Master Xehanort had kicked Ven to the ground and pinned Namine in a thundercage created by Sora.

"Did you actually believe that you could run away from your fate, Ventus?" asked Master Xehanort.

"I used to believe that you know….but, now I have learned tremendously. You'll never take away my heart. It belongs to me! No one else!" shouted Ven.

He possessed the same stubbornness as me. Would it get him far I have no idea.

Master Xehanort chuckled loudly, "You make this all too easy, boy. Let the darkness overcome you and become the X-Blade, it the only way to save your precious Namine and your deranged mother and idiotic father. If you do not, this experience will haunt you time and time again for the rest of your young life."

"YOU…" I growled and stepped up and half-KOed Master Xehanort.

There he was slouched on the ground with only the Keyblade to hold him up. I sneered and sneered at him, "You have no chance of ever taking over this universe or getting Ventus's heart. As a mother and as a KEYBLADE MASTER, LEAVE MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY ALONE!"

My body felt conflicted between feelings of love and hate. I knew that if I myself gave into the darkness then Master Xehanort would manipulate me….He began to smile widely.

"That's it, Maggie. Let anger overcome you! More! MORE!"

"Maggie, COMPOSE YOURSELF!" Eleaus shouted.

The words of Eleaus made me pause, then the red I saw over my eyes had disappeared. My Keyblade glowed a white and yellow. I faced Xehanort with intensive determination.

"I'll decide for myself who controls my destiny!" I charged toward Master Xehanort.

"A-A-And….I….t-t-too TOOO!" screamed Sora.

Eleaus turned his head around…he had finally talked some sense into his brother.

"Sora, please! Break free! Let the light overcome the darkness in your heart!"

Namine glanced at him and used her Keyblade to initiate a CURE spell and shot a bolt of light through Sora. Sora began to shake all over, as his black and red suit became to transform into a normal one. His hands were locked onto his head as sweat poured down his face. Suddenly with arms spread, Sora released the light inside himself.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Master Xehanort. He crouched back as darkness within him began to escape and dissipate into the sky.

"Looks like you've lost a valuable person, old man. Step down, Xehanort and never return," boasted Ven.

Sora and Namine came up and pointed their Keyblade toward Xehanort's neck and Eleaus used mystical binds to pin him to the ground. I kissed Eleaus hard to as to smear a feeling of disgust in Xehanort's face. It began to rain and thunder around all of us. Dusty winds began to pick up again in the distance.

Xehanort then saw the blue moon beginning to shine again.

"There, you see!? I still have a chance with gaining Kingdom Hearts! Ventus, you are mine!"

"No you won't!" interrupted Sora and stepped in front of Ven.

And with that, Master Xehanort blasted all of us backward towards the sandstorm. A bunch of Heartless began to pull all of us down into the ground into these pools of darkness. Master Xehanort had again failed to capture what he wanted.

"Go back as you will, but know this. My vast overflowing darkness over your precious land has done its damage. I have placed a curse over the whole world so nobody will remember you all. It was as if you never existed to your own friends….there is no other ways to get back their original memories. They have also been placed in different worlds, unknowing about the struggles that plagued their former world. The bonds and connections that you have enveloped with them! So go back and see for yourself. That will give you incentive to hand Ventus over to me! TO CREATE THE ONE AND ONLY X-BLADE! Not even Eraqus can surpass my power."

**Chapt. 19**

In fact, Master Xehanort had thought wrong. Master Eraqus, Terra Sr., Molly, Richy, and Esmerelda were the only individuals in our world to have retained their original memories.. Our village was bordered to the Land of Departure. It was about 30 min. away from the holy ground. Its school was near our village, but not completely a part of the Land of Departure castle. We found out that Master Eraqus had shielded the Land of Departure against Xehanort's attack, but unintentionally left my village and world unarmed. Everyone was spread out to different worlds or had perished by the Heartless invasion; no one remained in their homes. The lakes and rivers were dry and houses were nothing but piles of rubble. Gone forever…Terra and Aqua, Richy, Esmerelda, Molly and Terra Sr. all spread out to different worlds. Master Eraqus had advised them to adjust as the Heartless began to invade. However Terra, Aqua, Lea, and Isa's memories however we erased in the process of leaving the world. They would never be able to recall their own friend, Ventus. Xehanort believed that young people's memories were easier to toy with than adults.

Almost a day before Ventus's 10th birthday…and we had to find a plan for him to survive Master Xehanort's second attack.

We all met in my once beautiful garden, where we all sat in the white gazebo.

"We have to think of some way to undermine Master Xehanort, something that he'll never expect to happen or how Ven might possibly survive," proposed Eleaus, "My brother, I credit you and owe my son's life and mine to you."

"Well, I never expected I'd be involved in your business again. But you know what? Once you have evil invade your own mind, you just lose control and desire to get back on that good side," remarked Sora.

"Why didn't you give in?" asked Ven.

"I'll tell you why, half-nephew or should I say NEPHEW. You are still family to me. My 40 yr. old wife, your aunt, is pregnant with her first child. _Your future cousin_. She's due in a matter of months. I knew in my heart I wouldn't want to let him or her down or even to have the same fate as me…so I stood up and fought for my family. I've been lost for some time and Master Xehanort seemed to find a weakling in me. Haven, that's my wife, showed me, Eleaus a new way of seeing things and the world. She taught me to share more and love people more than I treated you in the past. It's taken me a lot to say this Eleaus, but I should have been more respectful and accepting toward you when we were kids. I didn't want some authority figure like you to crush my pride. I realized that Eleaus and I as family share the same heart. Both deep down inside we experienced the same emotions and hardships in providing for our families and believe me it wasn't easy. I had always turned down or abused many women in my youth because they couldn't measure up to my potential and it hurt me in the long run, but look at me now. Yes…I maybe 49yrs. old, but that doesn't mean I don't have time to start all over again with my life. I don't want my son or daughter to be mean or critical like I was in my youth or give in easily to the darkness as I almost did with Master Xehanort. I want better for my child, as he or she grows up in this complex universe we dwell in everyday…." explained Sora almost philosophically.

"I understand perfectly, sir," said Ventus looking obedient and then turned to Namine.

Sora and Eleaus smiled at each other.

"It took me until now to realize that Sora truly cared about me. He and I are brothers and we can't give up on each other. Our parents aren't here. Your stepgrandmother only comes once in a while to visit Sora. He is very much alone and so are you. We must do what we can to keep our families enact as do our hearts. The heart in other words is what makes up who you are as a person: your thoughts, experiences, and personality. Of course family is certainly not excluded from that picture. It's one of the pivotal things that hold you together, your first sense of identity, Ven. You and that child can share a bond that could almost keep you alive," Eleaus said.

Pretty haunting words if you know what I mean, if you already know that answer which will be mentioned in much later chapters.

Namine was rubbing the stains off her Keyblade.

"Sharing the same heart….I wonder…." muttered Namine.

"What is it, Namine?" asked Eleaus.

"Ventus, can I talk to you for a minute?" asked Namine.

After 20min., Ventus and Namine finally came back to where we were all sitting.

"Ventus and I have reached a decision. He will go through with a plan. But I feel like this should be kept confidential though. It does have something to do with Sora's baby. Ventus and the baby are of the same family, so that should be able to save him," Namine said.

"But what does it mean?" I asked.

Namine was silent, I knew I had to shut up after everything I did, or attempted to do to Ven. I thought with Namine by Ven's side, he has all the comfort he needs. Yes he had me, but this is his life and he trusts a peer? Hope Namine knew what she was doing.

"Eleaus, I have a feeling Ventus will love the new baby. It could be the start of a new relationship between us, brother," said Sora.

"I know, that is, if Ven has the chance to meet him or her," Eleaus commented.

"We should have our families get together more. You and Maggie move to the Destiny Islands for semi-retirement, how about that?"

"Really have to think on it, Sora. First we need to concern ourselves with Ventus's well-being."

"Really, Eleaus! The properties on the Destiny Islands are fairly cheap. All the shops and fishing centers are within minutes from the bungalows and beach houses people either rent or live all year round in. Besides if you both need a secret hideout, I got an extra in the basement!"

"Well…."

I smiled at my husband and slowly egged him on.

"Alright! I'll do it! You got a deal, Sora. After all we brothers, buddies, partners, and pals now right?!"

"Just leave the costs and financing to me!"

"We should leave now! We have no idea where Xehanort mabe" shouted Ventus holding Namine's hand. She began to smile confidently with him.

"Most of all, we want to keep you safe. Let's plan to strike at dawn against Master Xehanort and his army. We have to take residence at the Land of Departure. Master Eraqus can give up nourishment and preparation for battle," I recommended.

"Good plan, Maggie. Master Xehanort won't have a chance of kidnapping Ven if we are together in this. Let's go," Sora said.

We all got in the raft at the bottom of the valley. The lake however was dried up. With a wave of his Keyblade, Eleaus used ample amounts of Blizzard and fire spells to recreate the lake and eventually Sora opened the portal that led to the Land of Departure. However, little did we know we too were being followed by the enemy and of course Master Xehanort the scum bag himself.

**Chapt. 20**

We finally arrived the next morning at Master Eraqus's holy land of light, the Land of Departure.

The night we were in space, Namine and Ventus looked behind at our pitiful looking world slowly begging to vanish within five minutes. The Heartless were quick and we were blessed to have gotten away like everyone else. Time to start anew, maybe someplace better until someday, we could regain our old land from overthrowing Master Xehanort and the Heartless.

"Why Maggie what brings you all here at this hour? You should be away from this land. It is way too close to what used to be home," pondered Master Eraqus.

"Sir, we have to prepare for combat. Ventus's life could be in grave danger. I'm sure you know that?" I asked him.

At first Master Eraqus paused and began to shed an angry, yet stubborn and accepting look on his face.

"Yes, that's right. Ventus must surely be protected. We must get you all rooms, come follow me."

I just realized today was September 23rd, the day of my Ventus's 10th birthday. I had to organize it somehow in all this madness. I had motioned to Master Eraqus that we should throw a mini party for the sake of it. I assured him that it would not call attention to the enemy.

We set up a little table in the foyer of Master Eraqus's office with a special dessert Salt Sea Ice Cream. My friends and I went gaga over that stuff when we were kids. Namine began to cry softly as Ven blew out the candles.

"What's wrong, Namine?" asked my son.

"Oh, VEN! DON'T DIE! WHAT EVER YOU DO DON'T DIE!" her eyes were all red. Ven remained composure, but on the inside I knew he was feeling the same bittersweet feeling.

Eleaus and Sora hung their heads low, also. Me, you might ask, I walked away attempting to hold back tears. I turned back to see Ventus with his hand over his heart.

"Guys, whatever happens, happens…that's what we all agreed on. I'll be alright, everything is going to be fine. Namine and I have it all taken care of," Ven motioned.

As he started opening up presents, I could sense that something was not quite right around the castle.

"We strike at dawn…the Keyblade Graveyard, everybody!" proclaimed Sora.

**Chapt. 21**

I woke up to a cloudy morning, looking out the window.

"Where's VENTUS! WHERE'S NAMINE!" shouted Eleaus.

"WHAT?" I asked.

"I SAID—"

"I KNOW WHAT YOU FREAKING SAID! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S GONE?!" I panicked.

"Master Eraqus has checked the entire Land of Departure grounds and no sign of either Ventus or Namine."

Sora then ran up, "Guys, I know where Namine is."

"WHERE? HOW? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"I mean, last night I peaked in on them both and discovered Namine casting some spell upon herself and Ven and she just…disappeared. Someone came up behind me and knocked me out before I could get to Ven," Sora explained.

"SHE'S GONE? FOREVER?"

"I wouldn't be too sure….I overheard her say the plan on her part was full proof against Master Xehanort. She said that somehow or another she and Ven would meet again in the future."

"Whatever it is she did, I'll be surprised she's back in one piece."

"I don't know what to make of this. What really matters is that we find Ven," said Eleaus. "If we find him, we find Xehanort and exterminate him to oblivion."

"We'll do it, together, brother," said Sora.

"You bet."

I stood there idled. I wish I had the courage to say the same thing. I guess the guilt I felt for almost killing my own son had overcome me. I could do nothing, but watch and listen blindly to my husband's orders. The Keyblade Graveyard was a hostile place and I had no idea what Ventus would be up against with us or even Namine by his side.

"I should have enough time to take care of business here and see the baby," said Sora.

"I know, Sora. Let's get our gear together and warn Master Eraqus that we are going out," said Eleaus.

"Maggie, come on!" shouted Sora.

"Alright!" I said.

We soon came to an armory way down below the depths of the castle. Master Eraqus had told us that it had not been open for over 60yrs since the Keyblade War was wrought. These suits were special to him and could help us greatly in combat. Each suit was formulated to fit our own powers and strengths to defeat enemies. Master Eraqus said that we must use special ships called Gummi Ships in order to navigate our way through the universe. It would be swarming with Heartless creatures and Shadows. There we should be able to uncover Ventus and defeat Master Xehanort.

The Keyblade Graveyard was over 100 mi. away from the Land of Departure. No sweat, huh? We climbed into our individual Gummi ships and headed off towards a huge portal that Master Eraqus crafted for us. We kept on traveling and traveling through the purple, blue, and black mixed vistas of space. Suddenly we hit a roadblock which took on the shape of a huge brick wall that stretched for infinite miles across space. We could not get through….it was probably Master Xehanort's undoing. We all tried to cast various spells and combo attacks throughout the wall, but to no avail whatsoever. It seemed as though we would never be able to cross through and rescue my son.

"Dear this could take some time…." Eleaus spoke through his walky-talky.

"Yeah….it seems impossible…" said Sora. "Why don't we go back to the Land of Departure and load up more and practice?"

I was shaking all over and thoughts began to race through my head. What would Master Xehanort want with a little boy like Ven? Why our family? I closed my eyes….and suddenly felt my body leave the Gummi ship and fly all across the universe. Finally, it stopped and I saw my son in a jail cell, in what looked like the inside of a mountain.

"VEN! VEN! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" I shouted.

"Mother? I heard your voice. I feel…I feel…uhh…he's been torturing me," said Ven.

"I know it! I feel it in the air! Really, Ventus have the light strong within you. Don't give up!" I cried. "We'll be there to rescue you, I promise."

_"Ventus, let's do more test runs. You will form the X-Blade! You are only now weak, you say…oh, but soon you will become stronger, and produce for me what I want more than anything!" _

"It's Xehanort! I have to go! I love you, so much!" I heard him whimper for the first time in ages.

Master Xehanort grabbed him by the shirt, "Please Master! Don't make me do this! I wasn't trained to fight these…."

I was cut off and suddenly felt myself whoosh back toward where I came from.

"Did you see what I saw, Eleaus?" I asked opening my eyes.

"Yep, I was just silent. It was your time with Ven," he said.

"Let's turn back, I think I see a hoard of Heartless at the tip top of the gate. They look huge, we might be able to take them on at the moment," remarked Sora.

We turned our ships back to the Land of Departure before it was too late. My heart was in my throat, I tried to hold back tears of what that mad man could do to Ventus.

**Chapt. 22**

For almost 3 months we idled at the Land of Departure. Master Eraqus had told us that the Heartless were causing too much chaos among the worlds and the paths that travel could not be possible. Everyday, I prayed and prayed and prayed….Eleaus and Sora were busy practicing with Eraqus. I tried with all my might to reaffirm a connection with my heart and Ven's by closing my eyes. It wouldn't work again. I tried pointing my Keyblade in the air….no avail. Maybe it was Xehanort's undoing or maybe it was even mine….did I cause this rift? Whatever it was, I couldn't stop fighting. So I picked up the incentive after a month after we landed our ships to practice more with Sora and Eleaus. We made up for our sadness by having feasts and building new towers across the land for future students. We also cast our own spells to protect the holy ground from the darkness. I felt in my heart that Ven could handle himself. He wouldn't forget the skills Eraqus or Eleaus and I taught him. In my mind, I was just making the world a safer place…..

**Chapt. 23 **

On December 30th, to be exact, the storm had finally let up. Master Eraqus believe that Master Xehanort had finally let down his defenses slightly and we could adequately navigate our way toward finding Ven at the Keyblade Graveyard. Sora was unable to come home to see the baby the night it was born. However, Master Eraqus reproduced an image of his wife in the hospital the next morning.

"Haven! What is it?"

"It's a boy! Funny thing was when he came out and I held him in my arms, he began to glow, a greenish whitist color…I thought I could hear the baby muttering words, unusual…the doctors couldn't explain it. As soon as it stopped, the baby started to cry again."

"He's gifted, honey. But still I'm glad he's alright. I knew he'd be alright. Did you name him what I knew you'd name him?"

"Yes, I named him after you."

Haven showed Sora what he looked like behind the glass. Yes, Sora Jr. was fast asleep…

"He looks exactly like you, brother. Best of all, I'm an uncle," remarked Eleaus.

"He's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

This was one of the few times Eleaus saw his brother genuinely happy.

"Sora didn't cry a lot when he was born. He weighs about 13 ½ oz. You need to come home now!" exclaimed Haven.

"Sora, we've got our son under control. Now your responsibility is with your own," I said to him.

Master Eraqus stopped the image, "Well what are you going to do know, father?"

Sora looked up at the stain glassed window in the practice hall. Sunlight began to shine through. He looked back at us three.

"I'll be seeing you later, guys. Good luck with your search for Ventus," Sora said.

A while after, Sora packed his belongings and stepped outside the castle and used his own Keyblade to form a portal that led back to the Destiny Islands.

"Good luck…brother," said Eleaus softly to himself.

"Our turn, baby!" I said enthusiastically.

I turned my head toward the remaining two Gummi ships. Master Eraqus nodded a 'yes' face to go out and fight the unknown.

It was a pretty smooth trip, out of the Land of Departure. We had to pick up some snacks and items along the way in the Radiant Garden. And then off again into the dusk. We finally reached the Keyblade Graveyard. Eleaus and I walked around, but no sign of either Ven, Master Xehanort, or the Heartless.

"This is AN OUTRAGE! MASTER XEHANORT WILL PAY!" my husband shouted. "WHERE-IS-VEN?"

His voice echoed throughout the dusty mountain tops.

"Why don't we split up and search for him?" I asked.

"Good plan."

All around me there were empty creeks and rivers without hope of ever achieving one rainfall. I ran and ran and ran for miles on end.

"VENTUS!" I cried out.

"VEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNTUSSSS!"

No avail.

I kept on dragging my feet through rock climbing and vessel penetrating. How many rocks and hills I cut open with my Keyblade….well, the blisters can solve that numerical problem for you. When you are parent, your adrenaline naturally goes through the roof. I finally came to a vast land of Keyblades stuck within the ground. Eleaus was standing right in the middle of the pathway, shaped like a cross. I tried to touch one of the buried Keys…

_(hoards of screaming filled my ears, and flashes of blood and dark magic crossed my mind and then a huge misty cloud coming at the top of the highest mountain and spread with incredible force towards my eyes)_

I fell backward, unconscious.

"Are you okay, dear?" asked my husband. My eyes were faintly beginning to open, "Do not ever touch those Keys…those Keyblades have been cursed. You are not the true master of them, Maggie. A Keyblade only had one true master and one master's experiences only. What you saw was the weilder's last recollections of his or her life. It seemed as though when these Keybearers lost their lives, their spirits were confined within the Keys. They've been sleeping since that day it happened."

I looked back at it. It looked worn out and was decaying at the handle.

"It looks sad…." I muttered.

"Yes, that's the point, Mag. Keyblades like their masters, develop after their master's personalities. Let's keep searching. Master Xehanort should have had a liar. You saw that prison didn't you?" asked Eleaus.

"Yes, I did."

"It can't be far. Let me use my Keyblade to _Scan_ this area."

Eleaus's Keyblade emitted a red-green light. It spread for miles and miles on end. A yellow light suddenly flashed towards the ground where I first saw Eleaus standing.

"Let's go…." he gestured toward me.

I blasted the sandy door open with a spell called _Ragnerok_, an old favorite of mine back in school. We jumped in the trap door that led us on a fall of almost 200 ft. below the ground…Eleaus used a force field to help us adequately land. The hallways were metal and dimly lit. No desk, no guards, or Heartless.

"Xehanort!" Come, come out and play!" I called out manically.

The place contained about 15 jail cells. Each one of them empty….strange. No prison, yet no prisoners?

Eleaus doubled checked to see if there was nobody in the whole square base. He used his Keyblade to light the entire place.

_This is very atypical_, I thought to myself. _Is Master Xehanort just playing us? Is he still here but just in a different sphere of the Graveyard? What else does he have in store for us? Or did he actually move himself and Ventus someplace else?_

My heart was yet again in my throat.

Eleaus came back to me, "Maggie, no sign of anyone."

"It's too simple," I said "Wait a minute….what's that?"

I pointed to another door way, just behind Eleaus. It was a solid titanium looking door with huge bolts. It had a padlock on it that looked electrified, as per the little sparks emitting from it. Eleaus and I used both our combined strength to break down the door…confident in ourselves that we would truly find our son. Suddenly, the trap door from all the way above the prison had closed. No light, just the poorly dimmed lights of the hall. I went into a cold sweat…

"Who's there? Hello? Hello?"

"Maggie, compose your-" Eleaus had stopped talking, almost to the point of death. His eyes were set on something…I turned my gaze in the same direction. I knew what he was staring at now….a pair of small gleaming yellow eyes was coming towards us slowly walking. There was only one prisoner's door open only set for the most dangerous, high risk criminals.

The prisoner painted and then manically charged at us with steel knuckle slashes. But we were too quick and slammed the heavy door toward our unknown location. We were standing on a pair of stone stairs leading up to a mountain tower. We could hear bang after bang on the door. Suddenly, the metal door caught on fire as we saw blue flames emit from the cracks.

"Maggie run!"

"No I'm staying with you!"

"You'll get hurt, find Ven, if he is up there!"

I had to act quickly, "Alright please be careful!"

The prisoner had blasted his way through and began to chase us up to the top of a tower above the prison complex. He used his knuckle braces to summon a Keyblade. Master Xehanort uncovering from his petty disguise cast a spell. Suddenly, the whole environment began to change as Master Xehanort held up his hand towards the top of the tower. Everything became smoky and colors of purple, yellow, and orange began to appear around us. It looked like the space could stretch for miles, not a person was insight.

"For your foolishness, you will rat in this dimension forever….See if you can find your Ventus now…."

And with that, Master Xehanort disappeared into a dark portal and escaped. Eleaus and I were speechless and both on our knees. BANISHMENT…..for how long? How would we survive? I couldn't think anymore, I couldn't talk anymore…

"What are we doing to do, Eleaus?" I asked Eleaus.

Eleaus was at a loss. Master Xehanort just could not be stopped, illusion after illusion. We knew we had to find Ven, and not give up, but prospects for us were getting weaker and weaker.

"Maybe we should try sleeping this off…" he told me with a dead panned expression.

_Sleep….yes….that's a wonderful tactic. That' what I need….a good night sleep_….I glanced over to my right and saw two tall white pods with stairs leading up into them.

"Hey! Eleaus! Here are some beds we can sleep in those!" I pointed.

Eleaus however was more speculative about the pods.

"Mag, I don't like the sound of this….it looks sketchy. Besides there is nothing around in this place, no food, no creatures, no people, no houses, just miles and miles on end of this purple smoke. It's Master Xehanort, he's trying to sway us from finding Ven."

"Eleaus don't be ridiculous…if it was from Master Xehanort then it would have been labeled or at least something would have severely happened to me by now."

For a while, Eleaus was puzzled by the situation, putting one hand to his chin and looking down at the bottomless floor.

"Alright, Mag. I'll trust you. We're in this together, as a couple first and foremost and as teammates. Whatever happens, happens to us….we have no idea where our son can be. Maybe these pods can tell us something…."

"Yes! I knew you'd lighten up. Come on, seriously what could go wrong?"

Little did we both know that we would be unknowingly sleeping for over 5yrs…..no one to help us or wake us up from our somewhat eternal slumber. Did we have a choice to wake up? Possibly. But I believe both of us needed that rest….and let me tell you this…I was pretty well worth it, KH fans. Sooner or later though, we had to catch up with our friends, family, and of course Ventus's ware bouts. Eleaus and I would both be 60yrs. old by the time the pods would open up again, Ventus still out of our sight.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapt. 24**

_"Maggie! What do you think you are doing?" a voice called. _

_ "Huh? Huh? Who's there? Who are you?" I shouted out loud. _

_I opened my eyes (I was still sleeping mind you). There before my sight, stood my parents. Both of them were smiling bright at me, but they seemed to have a tense attitude towards me at the same time. _

_ "Why are you still sleeping? You should be out there crossing the ends of the universe to find your son, OUR GRANDSON!" my father explained. _

_ "We sense insecurity within you, Maggie. Are we correct?" my mother asked. _

_ I look down at the floor…I was floating on air. I quickly looked up again and put my hand to my heart. I was still upset about Ventus kissing up on Namine and never telling me his ventures and sharing more information about his intentions with Eleaus. After all this time, I still felt that grudge like it never left me…that darkness or should I say distrust. No one's heart is filled with pure, pure light. Light and Darkness exist in a balance….you can't have one without the other. The mistakes and faults we make are darkness, yet we make up for them somehow through seeing the light….human nature can't be all that bad, as I thought once. I clenched the center of my chest. I saw my parents lower their arms, faces as stoic looking as stone. _

_ "Mother, Father….I'm so, so, sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I never knew that my hatred would cause this havoc upon my world. The insanity, that darkness in my heart nearly overpowered me that night. I felt like I was literally going to lose control of my whole body. It was just enough to get the Heartless's attention, just enough of that lure. Revenge had filled my head that night and I could have done anything even annihilate my son out of the sheer purpose of Master Xehanort's prophecy to have him experimented and tortured under. Just because Ventus had put his trust more in Namine and Eleaus than in me. BECAUSE I SHELTERED HIM TOO MUCH. All I did was make an innocent bubble burst and physically perish before my eyes…. Maybe his kissing of that girl was the last straw….why did we ever have children if Xehanort was going to use him for dark purposes anyway? Everything just all blended together and I did what I had to do….Ventus was never meant to exist in my mind and coupled out of that frustration of him with Namine and Eleaus and then Master Xehanort possibly tempering with my thoughts…I went for the kill. What can I possibly or realistically do to redeem myself and win back my son's love? Will he ever trust me? I WILL NEVER AND SOLEMNLY SWAY NEVER TO LAY A FINGER ON HIM OR ANYONE ELSE."_

_ I crashed down to the ground. Bawling my eyes out, my parents rushed to me as I heaved and heaved deeply. I closed my eyes and saw Eleaus and Ventus appear separately behind white light. I reopened my eyes again. My parents were still there. I sat up straight and asked, "Did you see what I just saw?"_

_ They both nodded. _

_ "You still care for your son. And you know what Maggie, that's the most important thing. Ventus probably senses that too. That's why he's there. He knows very well you and Eleaus will go to the ends of the whole universe to find him. But know this Maggie, he will always be in your heart…." My mother said and pointed towards the center of my chest. _

_ "Let's get you and Eleaus out of this funky place!" said my father. _

_ My mother snapped her fingers. I could feel myself, sub-consciously propelled towards the sky. Perhaps outside my mind…if I was dreaming…the pods were moving upward too. Eleaus would surely be by my side. _

_ Suddenly, both my parents began to shift backwards into these pale, silver clouds. _

_ "Now go and get out of here and make a difference! It's not just young people who can change society!" called my mother. _

_ "Good luck on your journey, need I remind you that you and your husband have been sleeping for over 5yrs.!" my father shouted. _

Suddenly, yellow rays of light flashed before my eyes. I woke up and looked and saw that Eleaus was by my side. It was extremely bright outside. I felt the ground, I was awake. I spanned the surroundings...the Destiny Islands.

**Chapt. 25 **

We were stationed on the residence area of the Destiny Islands overlooking the island we spent the entire day on when Ventus was with us.

"Eleaus, wake up! WAKE UP!" I shook him.

"Ah- HA! What?" Eleaus asked with droopy eyes.

"We're free! We're finally free after all these yrs.!"

"Free? Yrs.? What are you talking about?"

"Those were special pods! We never should have taken them! We've wasted five yrs. of our lives inside them! They were a set by Master Xehanort! We have to continue our search for Ventus. Surely our friends will help out and Terra and Aqua."

"But, dear. We don't even know where our friends are…where is Robin, Lisa, Isa, Lea, Richy, Esemerelda, Terra Sr., Molly, or even Terra and Aqua. Would they still be at the Land of Departure, we don't know….are they all still together as families, we don't know…did the darkness swallow them up…we don't even KNOW FOR SURE! Master Eraqus, you may ask for all we know, he might be dead….MASTER XEHANORT, well he probably has his methods to his own madness…but we don't know…" then he paused "Did you say 5 yrs.?"

"YES!"

Eleaus stood up and felt his body. It looked like he had lost some weight, yet he didn't feel malnourished. He was completely healthy. I was the same.

"Mag, we need to go into town and find Sora. He'll know what to do. Maybe he can give us insight as to what has happened these past 5yrs. Maybe he'll have his Gummi ship reloaded so we can visit the worlds and find Ven," Eleaus said.

"You're right. Let's go," I said enthusiastically.

We ran off into town. It was a bustling place, markets of food, clothing, technologies, of any kind and an overabundance of children with their parents. Eleaus search around to find his brother.

"Sora!" Eleaus shouted.

"SORA!" I exclaimed. The roads we narrow and people bumped into us unrelentingly. We finally stumbled out of the crowd to the end of the market. No sign of Sora anywhere.

Eleaus and I shrugged our shoulders and found a bench to sit down at.

"Maybe we should just find an apartment like Sora said and just become partial empty-nesters," I offered.

"Yeah…sounds game," Eleaus had said.

"Hey, Dad! Riku said that my fishing skills are getting better and better! What do you think?" a youthful voice exclaimed.

I looked up and there before my eyes was Sora and what looked to be his son, Sora Jr. Natural twins, although Sora Jr. had darker brown hair than his father.

"That' great, Sora. Now remember you and Riku can't paddle out on your own to the islands until you are 12," said Sora Sr.

"Awww….Dad!" Sora complained.

Sora Jr. turned his head only to see us sitting on the bench with our eyes open wide. He cocked his head in a funny manner and began to tug his father on the sleeve.

"Dad, who are they?"

"Why those are just a couple of-" he paused and looked carefully at Eleaus and I. I thought for sure he was going to say _hobos_.

"Why…HA HA! It's my brother and my sister-in-law, son!" he said and grabbed his hand and ran over to us.

**Chapt. 26**

"Man oh man, you two! Where have you fricking been all my life? For the umpteenth time…Eleaus we just can't but separate all the time. What's up?" Sora Sr. said angrily, "Eleaus you grew a beard and Maggie, you are still wearing the same clothes the last time a saw you. What have you two become, hippies?"

"Oh…we're sorry Sora. It's just….very…" Eleaus was attempting to come up with a word to describe our situation. Pretty hard considering you've been asleep for 5yrs in a white pod in the middle of nowhere, huh?

"It's complicated, we might need to talk to you in private about it," he said.

Sora Jr. looked up at his father with a puzzled look.

"What's complicated?" the child asked.

"You are too young to hear about it, why don't you go see what Tidus and Wakka are doing, I think their free today, Sora. Riku and his family went to a place called the Outer Banks that isn't far from the Destiny Islands," suggested Sora.

Sora Jr. kicked the ground stubbornly. He seemed to be quite interested in nd our condition. After all we were his new relatives.

"Oh, alright. I'll go, but you gotta promise to tell me later. I wanna know now!" he said, his voice trailing off as he ran towards his friends' homes.

"I'll tell you a little about him. 5 ½ years old. Usually, Sora the energetic one of the bunch while Riku is calm and collected. He is a year older than Sora. Sometimes Sora takes on some of my formally competitive characteristics, which I really wish he wouldn't. Riku gets jealous if Sora believes or even wins something that he himself couldn't do. But overall, my Sora is an extremely kind boy and wouldn't hurt a fly. He and Riku are and always will be best buddies. Sora loves the beach, seems like he could live here all his life and it would never get old. He likes to go rafting, fishing, and play swords with his friends. Sometimes at the main island, he and Riku will show me drawings on the sides of stones. It's all very entertaining. I wished for him someday to become more concerned about the outside world. Outside the Destiny Islands, is a much bigger universe. But he couldn't grasp that even if I told him. Riku seemed to be the more curious one about the outside world. Back in June, two months ago, he came up me and asked me people outside this world wielded weapons more powerful than we have here. Smart kid."

"_What makes you say that, Riku?" _

"_I don't know. I was just curious." _

"I knew he had more to say. Did he come across a stranger? I don't know. He looked out one of my windows as the sun was setting. Then Riku's eyes had swayed back and forth across the room."

"_Actually, sir. I have met someone. I don't know who he exactly was. But he really seemed like someone important. He was tall and had long brown spiky hair at the top. He showed me something, a key-shaped weapon. He told me that I am the bearer of it. Strange isn't it? Maybe it's destiny, it still puzzles me, even though I have to keep it a secret." _

"_Wait, Riku. That sounds like….you don't say!" _

"_Huh?" _

"_Riku. You just met one of the most important people in the entire universe. A hero, a complicated one for sure. Terra…" _

"_Terra? That's his name?" _

"_Yes, there are two others. Aqua and Ven. They are also Key bearers and have a private and dangerous mission ahead of them. Riku, whatever you do, do not tell anyone. It is a private matter. Higher authorities above those three are involved. I know you are young and want to venture out into the worlds, but now is not the time." _

"Riku nodded at me obediently and ever since, Sora has been unaware of anything Riku has done or discussed with me. Riku even has plans of building a large raft someday to see the worlds and find his place. He told me that some kid long ago had left the island for good. He commented that he must be extremely powerful by now. Whether this is a good or bad thing…I don't know. I also told him that each world is connected by one great sky, whatever we feel at the moment whether it be anger, sadness, or even happiness can rebound on others. He took to great note of this fact."

"From this I believe, Sora has begun to mature a little bit in the past 6 months. He's become extremely precocious. There was one night I was watching him and Riku. Sora's birthday surprisingly. I'm no spy or anything, but I just wanted to check up on them. Haven and Riku's parents were asleep when I attempted to call them. The boys were just lying out on the beach watching the starry skies. Then they both got up to go back home. I hid in the bushes so they wouldn't suspect anything. Then both of them stopped because Riku saw that Sora was mysteriously crying."

"I have never seen Sora cry before because he takes things less seriously then Riku I believe. Sora said that it felt like something was squeezing him on the inside for no apparent reason. Riku reiterated my sayings of the great sky and people connected to them. Sora did not know what he could do at first…I swear kids these days really act beyond their years. Riku's parents just to let you know are scholars. Riku said innocently for Sora just to open his heart and listen to whoever was calling him. He did just that with no reluctance and closed his eyes for a good 20min. Then something had changed about him. He seemed less tense and more relaxed than usual. It worked and whoever was hurting up the skies was happy now. It's always nice to lend a helping hand. They just gazed up at the stars and after a while I left them alone. Now I couldn't be so sure, but I thought I saw three huge distinct looking stars shining one by one toward me and meteors shooting across the sky lightly."

"Ever since that night, Sora has been more adapt to training with weapons. He has never seen my Keyblade, nor have I told him stories of us and the outside world, or Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Master Eraqus, or even Master Xehanort and his minons. I have told him about only my relationship with you Eleaus. But he knows it was wrong for me to treat you that way when we were kids. He has also gotten fairer and less hard on Riku in competitive activities. Sora is still innocent at heart and want for him to remain that way once he and Riku come of age."

"Brother, have you seen our father?" asked Sora Sr.

"No I haven't. As long as I'm concerned he's either gone or dead," said Eleaus cruelly.

"Eleaus! You are crude!" I exclaimed.

"She's right. I've succeeded in establishing contact with Dad. He hasn't talked to me either in years. But started to talk to me again once Sora was born," said Sora Sr.

"Really? Wonder why he never called when Ven was? Huh?" asked Eleaus.

"Eleaus, I can't get inside Dad's head. Maybe you and Maggie were too restrictive. Maybe in his heart he didn't want to temper with that."

"Are you serious? Ven and Sora are both his grandsons! So why didn't he muster up the courage and oxygen tanks if has them to see his FIRST grandson?" asked Eleaus angrily.

Sora Sr. looked defeated, "If I told you, you would hate me forever…"

"No I wouldn't, we are family and we stick together as ONE now," remarked Eleaus.

"Alright. Dad told me that the reason why he didn't get involved with Ventus was because he had visited your house, you unbeknownst this, at night and over heard you talking with Maggie over Ventus's fate with Master Xehanort. Dad felt in his heart that it was not his place to temper with Ventus or start a relationship for fear that he himself would be tangled up in an affair that was solely Maggie's side of the family and not Eleaus's. He couldn't have been more wrong…Master Xehanort came to him and had threatened to kill him unless Dad had cooperated to permanently erase Ventus's memories of everyone he loved. Xeahnort said that he had successfully extracted a darkness from Ven's heart. When this was taken, his memories were partially gone. Dad had unleashed a spell with his own Keyblade on Ven to eliminate the last memories for good. Dad was trying to hold back the tears, but broke down entirely when Ventus had been left all glassy eyed being tugged away by Master Xehanort. Dad felt like he wanted to kill himself at that moment, but then he thought that death was like a weakness and he himself would be giving into the darkness of his own heart and into Master Xehanort."

Eleaus looked stunned, his hands on his face, "That was all too much for Dad to handle. All this time, he abused and neglected me. And yet it was thrown right back in his face. He was extremely flawed. Probably because his own parents were the same way. He thought he could change by marrying my mother, but then she died slowly of an unknown cancer, when I was Sora Jr.'s age. When he remarried, he never told your own mother or you about his abuses against me. He just lost hope and then my step-mother, your mother, divorced him as a result. He just didn't know what to do with the light and darkness within his heart. Which to follow and which not to follow. He realized it only in the end that you cannot hide from your fate or your friends and family when they need you or even potentially love you. Involvement and staying together than staying separate is the key and Dad just couldn't see that until the end, when he failed Ventus."

Eleaus began to cry softly as Sora Sr. had a shoulder wrapped around him.

"So, what is the status with Dad now? I mean his health…" I asked gravely.

"He's not doing so good. He is 90 yrs. old now. He is very fragile, I think the instant with Master Xehanort hit him hard, physically, mentally, and emotionally. We should visit him," Sora Sr. suggested, "I'll bring Sora, Riku, his parents, and Haven along."

"That is a promise, I'll intend to keep Sora," said Eleaus, the last tear running down his face.

**Chapt. 27**

As it turned out, Eleaus's father, Arshal, was living in an in-between world almost a 100mi. from the Destiny Islands. We managed to get Lillian to tag along too. It was called _New Beginnings to Cruising Ends_ and was a world dedicated to the elderly. Sora was sleeping in Haven's arms, while Riku walked side by side with Eleaus and I.

"I was just getting to know, Grandpup. Even though, I never knew my grandparents, I still consider him family," said Riku solemnly up to me. "Can I step out of the room if things get ugly?"

"How would they get ugly, Riku?" asked Eleaus.

"I don't know. Will he decay?"

"Of course, NOT! Dad has chosen to die the way he feels is necessary. All Keyblade masters do not decay, but materialize into forms of light and find their way toward the true light that sleeps within the Darkness."

Riku's face lit up, if there was hope for my father-in-law.

"He'll make it to the light realm," Riku said optimistically, "Even though wasn't so nice in the past, hopefully he has improved."

Eleaus patted Riku on the head. He could have been almost like a second son to him.

We finally reached Arshal's mansion, which looked shabby and battered on the outside. Almost as though no one had lived there for years. Sora Sr. knocked on the door of the gate. Pigeons began to fly out of nowhere towards us and thunder soon cackled. It was almost 7pm. The gate doors slowly opened and a path lay across a field toward the mansion. It took a good five minutes to cross it. The lawn was decaying as per the dried yellow and brown grass. Arshal must have let this one go big time, no wonder no one visited them.

Sora Sr. knocked on the door the umpteenth time and the door slowly creaked open.

"Hello, dears," said a maid cheerfully. I could see she was attempting to hold back tears, "Maggie, Eleaus! And Riku and Sora, my darlings."

She hugged the children tight.

"Grandpa isn't doing well at all. You all had better come upstairs. I really couldn't bear to handle this on my own."

Sora Sr. and Eleaus took Lillian by the hands. She was so proud of her boys.

"We'll do what we can," said Sora Sr. reassuringly.

We made our way up the stairs. The lights in the halls were dimly lit. Very similar to the prison Eleaus and I were attacked in not too long ago. The whole place smelled of carbon monoxide. Not a good substance to have meandering around the mansion. It could cause serious depression and hallucinations, so I have heard. Thus haunted mansions' secrets to apparations. The stench was fresh, I guess they decided to let the air conditioner go. The place slightly reminded me of the DisneyWorld Haunted Mansion only a more depressive, morbid version, without the scary paintings and 999 grinning ghosts. It was Arshal's way in the end, Eleaus always said he desired for dark dwellings.

We all reached a red curtain which led into a red and black shaded room. Eleaus told me Arshal was a fan of Edgar Allen Poe and wanted a room modeled off the one in Mask of the Red Death. The windows were even tinted a rosy plumage looking like red film on an overhead.

"Mommy, I'm scarred. Usually Grandpa and Grandma come over to our house…" said Sora Jr. crying faintly. He held onto Haven's dress skirt. Riku looked around the red and black room was immense fascination. The room was vast with black and white checkered flooring and all the way on the other side was Arshal laying down on what looked like his death bed shaped almost like a coffin. Never thought a KH story would get this complex huh, fans?

Sora Sr. and Eleaus ran over to their father, hands on the edge of his bed. Arshal turned his head slightly and smiled.

"Why boys, I never ever thought you bother would come for me. I see that you both have reconciled your differences," he said softly.

"Yes, we have Dad," they both said.

"Oh my, oh my, oh my. What a life I've had…and yet it was a wasted life. A tortuous life. Between family, death, remarriage, divorce, and separation from you and my daughter-in laws, and grandsons…I've seen and heard everything."

"Dad, you maybe a Keyblade master, but you are only human," said Eleaus, "You didn't want to show your face to me because I was still mad at you."

"No, Eleaus, you don't understand, it is my fault. Period, end of story. I've done worse, raised my Keyblade against my own family. I should have been there and aided Ventus in his conquest….but no….I was selfish and let it go."

Sora and Riku watched intently. I could feel Sora's sympathy, wishing to meet his mysterious cousin, Ven, whoever he was.

"Sora, child, I want you and Riku to know. That I was wrong to treat Eleaus badly. Yes, I abused him greatly as a child because I didn't recognize his self-worth. Guess what, everyone has…self-worth. As God as my witness…Master Xehanort will not prevail! LIGHT TRIUMPHS OVER DARKNESS! ALWAYS! Sora, Riku. Do not forget the name Master Xehanort EVER!"

Sora Jr. and Riku looked at each other puzzled. Could this have been a sub-conscious incentive toward venturing out to the outside worlds? You KH fans will have to guess that one. Sora Jr. ran up to his grandfather.

"Don't worry Grandpa! Riku and I can do anything and stop anyone! He's my best friend in the whole world," answered Sora Jr.

"I'm with him all the way, we're friends and that's what matters most," said Riku.

Arshal smiled at Riku's inquisitiveness. I knew in his mind that Arshal wished that he had friends and a supportive family of his own to journey through struggles and challenges. His last hopes were us and those two children to defeat Master Xehanort.

"Lillian, come to me, hun."

Lillian stepped over and kissed her husband, tearfully knelt down beside him.

"Please take good care of this family and make sure to help Eleaus and Maggie in anyway possible in their search for my Ventus. He is first and foremost my grandson."

"…I will," said Lillian, her sentence barely passed her lips.

"Eleaus, I'm incredibly sorry. Before that scoundrel took him away, I saw through Ventus, his last memories….torture, the darkness leaving his heart, and you and Maggie. He must have been the wind beneath your wings if I said it. I was bitter and couldn't see past his fate toward the concept of staying together as a family," said Arshal with two hands on Eleaus and I.

"Dad, I'm sure you would've loved to meet Ventus. He was a miracle baby," I said.

Arshal began to cough up blood and Lillian quickly got tissues to cover it up.

"B-B-B-B-Believe in the light….and the darkness will never…(cough) ever…(cough) defeat you…" his voice trailed off and his head hung by his side. Rain poured lightly on the outside making the window look as though blood too was dripping. Arshal's eyes remained open and Sora and Riku stood in total horror. Would they remember this instant? I don't know…bury it within their sub-conscious no doubt.

Sora Jr. and Riku huddled behind Haven and Sora. Lillian had buried her head in Arshal's former sleeve, and soon climbed into bed with him.

"He's still warm, especially around his heart," she commented.

I touched his hand and held it tight.

"I swear, Eleaus and I will put an end to this!" I cried.

"We will," said Sora Sr. and huddled everyone around his father.

"Yes, Arshal was and will always be a part of our hearts. My family is my power!" Lillian proclaimed.

"Let's get to bottom of this guys, that means you, Eleaus and Maggie. Sora, Riku head back to the Gummi Ship. Haven and I'd like to have a word with Eleaus and Maggie about what has been going on for the past five years," said Sora, "Haven you make sure Dad's real estate is sold and Mom moves in with us."

"Will do, Sora," she said and kissed him hard on the lips.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapt. 28**

Arshal had already left us. Lillian had watched his body evaporate into specks of light that rose to the top of the red/black room and disappeared. Certainly, we did not want her to leave us next…absolutely not. That was why we chose to sell the house. She would be better off psychologically and health-wise at the Destiny Islands. We boarded the Gummi Ship and left the in-between world never to return again. All of us came back to Sora Sr. house for rest and a bite to eat. Sora Jr. and Riku were outside practicing with their swords.

"Now what exactly has been going on, since we have been asleep?" I asked Sora and Haven.

"Yes, you mentioned it briefly to us before we left for Dad's," said Eleaus.

Sora Sr. looked at Haven and nodded the okay to begin the story.

"First let me get to the bare bones of the story and say that we do not know of many people's whereabouts. Master Eraqus is dead, Master Xehanort has disappeared and has taken over Terra's body, Aqua is lost, Ventus you are searching for, Richy and Esmerelda are staying here at the Destiny Islands, Terra Sr. and Molly have divorced. Terra Sr. had past connections to the Mob and they had killed him and Molly disappeared unintentionally into a black hole in the universe not far from your home, Maggie. How do we know all this? Master Yensid and King Mickey had told us different stories and I secretly spied on battles and confrontations," Haven said.

Eleaus and I were shocked and feared for our lives. What had happened to our friends and their children?

"Where should we start?" I asked with my eyes wide open.

"Why don't we start with Terra Sr.?" offered my husband.

"Okay, Eleaus here we go. Master Yensid had told Sora, Richy, Esmerelda, and I that things were not going so well with Terra and Molly. Terra himself had been frustrated with Ventus's fate as a pawn for Master Xehanort, that could potentially wrought destruction on his world and in addition Terra Jr.'s own suspicions about his father being involved in the Mafia. Terra Sr. wanted to equal Master Eraqus in strength, connections, and most of all with power. He would never tell Molly or his son about his ventures. All he wanted was some extra cash or influence over the light. Terra Sr. would also be supreme over both light and darkness to counter Master Xehanort. Eventually, that would have given leverage for Terra Sr. to have Kingdom Hearts than to go after Ventus as the weapon, the X-blade. Why have a weapon, when you can have the whole kit-and-caboodle? Over the next five yrs., Terra Jr. became extremely distrustful of his father to the point where the first flames of darkness began to form. Would he abuse this power? He didn't know. But he was certainly fearful of it. It broke Terra's heart. After a while, Molly began to sense distrust in the air and fought with Terra Sr. even to the point of a Keyblade fight to stop him from aligning himself with the Mafia. They could potentially take advantage of him and Terra Jr. certainly didn't want to inherit that. With Terra Sr.'s reluctance to stop, Molly filed for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences and inabilities to communicate mutual feelings. There was no love, only Terra Sr.'s infatuation with power. Due to Terra Sr.'s own competition and vicious attitude with Mafia members over Kingdom Hearts, he got himself killed unfortunately, but it's true, it happened immediately after the divorce…This affected Terra Jr. severely."

"Another incident was Molly's own death from becoming trapped in a black hole. Terra and she were driving away from their home when their Gummi ship hit an invisible force in the space. Molly told Terra to save himself and he did so, but at a terrible price. It was difficult to escape the Gummi ship because the black hole was pulling at such a force as to rip off or tear any huge object or person apart entirely. No one knows where exactly black holes lead or if you even survive them. There is no physical light that escapes a black hole…Terra looked in horror at his mother's fate as he drove away in his Keybladed armor towards a safer haven. He chose to study more under Master Eraqus. Aqua was there too as Richy and Esmerelda had dropped her off. They went and retired to the Destiny Islands. Maybe Terra became closer with Aqua because of his own mother's death. He never spoke of his father again."

"These are the real reasons Master Eraqus was weary of Terra becoming a Keyblade Master. It was Terra's fragile past that kept him in the dark. Aqua and Terra had to complete a Mark of Mastery test, and Terra failed to keep the darkness within him sufficiently in check. You can say those are the embers of the darkness from his dishonest father, the divorce, and his mother's fate that never left him no matter how hard he tried to forget. As Terra traveled to each world...he found that he was wrecking more destruction than help amongst the worlds and even proceeded to taking out Princess Aurora's heart for Maleficent. He was caught and twisted between light and darkness. His relationship with Aqua, romantic mind you was fading….Eventually, this all caught up to Terra as Master Xehanort tempted him more and more into accepting darkness. Eventually convincing him that Master Eraqus distrusted him and thought that he would become too power and that the darkness would overtake him. This came to fruition as Terra unintentionally aided Master Xehanort into destroying Master Eraqus. Terra realized what he did wrong and attempted to repent, but the damage was done and the darkness awakened inside him. Master Xehanort proceeded to taking over his body in order to see the Keyblade War and X-blade formulated. This never worked, but both of their whereabouts are unknown as of now. Terranort could be anywhere…"

"That's all we know. I'm pretty sure we know a little bit about Aqua, but we need Richy and Esmerelda to come over," said Sora Sr.

"Okay, let's get them over here," remarked Eleaus.

**Chapt. 29**

_(Knock! Knock!) _

Haven opened the door and Richy and Esmerelda arrived. Eleaus and I embraced for we hadn't seen them in five yrs.

"Oh my goodness, Eleaus and Maggie!" Richy exclaimed.

"We need you both to sit down with us. We have some trying business to take care of," I said.

"Really? Does it have anything to do with Ventus?" asked Esmerelda.

"Partially," said Eleaus, "What we really need to talk about is where your daughter is."

Richy hung his head low. Esmerelda had grasped his hand. I know this would be painful to recall. I knew the news of Aqua's fate would be hard on Esmerelda and especially Richy. Aqua was the apple of his eye and did many things together. He was primarily responsible for making Aqua strong and intuitive in predicting other's moves in combat. I remember him showing a Keyblade to her when she was only 2. So many pictures of them together, I think more of them with him than Esmerelda.

"Shall we Rich?" asked Esmerelda.

"Yes, dear. It's the only way we'll know where Aqua and most of all, Ven are. Terra…well…he's a different story."

"Okay, here's how it all began. Before the divorce, Terra Sr. and Molly had contacted us that Terra was returning to the Land of Departure for practice. He had to get away from home. Molly suggested to us that Aqua and practice with Terra before something bad happened. Unfortunately, things with Terra Sr.'s divorce, mob involvement, and eventually murder spun out of control. Molly and Terra were moving out and we planned to meet her and him at the Land of Departure. We drove Aqua to Master Eraqus's and set her things up in her own room in the castle. We knew Terra needed a break from home and all the troubles brewing inside it. Aqua was diligent and knew Terra needed serious counseling on his father's decisions. However, Master Eraqus had just received word that Molly had perished in a black hole and was never seen again. Aqua ran outside to find Terra a broken young man, he already knew in experiencing the separation. She told us that she had never seen him act so depressed in all his life. He was usually calm, collected, and overall a gentle fellow. Something that day had snapped inside him and she knew from the start that there was no turning back from it. Darkness had entered Terra's heart. Aqua told Terra to not give up and to always have light to overpower you than darkness. Master Eraqus had counseled him also that his parents divorced in his childhood too. Eraqus said that he overcame his depression from following his Master and also his one strong colleague, Master Yensid. Aqua had told Terra that they have been intense childhood friends and that bond never fades away. Parents will go someday soon, but one always has friends to turn to in times of trouble. She decided to take Terra out for a midnight stroll a week after he arrived. They didn't come back for about a month…some midnight stroll huh? What they did on that ride…it's up to you to figure out. Aqua never told us as it was between her and Terra. When Terra came back he was a band new man, almost as though his horrific past was forgotten. From then on, Aqua and Terra began to have meals more frequently with each other, almost like they were married. She told us, that Terra maybe expressing some feelings for her after all and she reciprocated the same way like hand holding or a kiss on the cheek every morning. Maggie and Eleaus, you both were right all along. Terra was lost for a time, hitting a major roadblock in his life, but he found Aqua, always had…(smiles)."

"Of course they kept these PDE moments to themselves and never showed it to Master Eraqus. They really did have an amazing boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. One year it was just the two of them, nothing could get in their way and they would find a way to defeat the darkness and according to Master Eraqus defeat Master Xehanort."

"Master Eraqus had himself had his confrontations with the scum bag Xehanort. When Xehanort had foretold the future of the Keyblade War and the X-blade creation, Eraqus attempted to take him out once and for all. However, Xehanort had damaged his face and weakened any chances of pursuing such a venture again. Master Eraqus foolishly believed that this confrontation would stop Master Xehanort from having Kingdom Hearts. It would be too unrealistic of a venture see to fruition. However, this would prove to be futile as we mention later on."

"Anyway, Terra and Aqua even told Master Eraqus that they were even considering engagement and eventually marriage. However, Master Eraqus had an unexpected vistor…that boy about 11 yrs. old…was Ventus. Terra and Aqua did not remember him due to them leaving the Land of Deaprture as a curse Master Xehanort had placed upon the land that caused individuals to forget their memories of specific peoples namely close friends. Master Eraqus was the only one to resist this curse, since he equaled Master Xehanort in strength and diligence. It is hard to mess with Master Eraqus let alone his mind or memories. Terra and Aqua had the ironic chance to rekindle their friendship with Ventus. It was almost as if the three of them had never met…pretty sad, but Master Eraqus didn't want to ruin their encounter. It seemed too genuine and he feared that Master Xehanort might harm the three of them if he opened his mouth of the events that happened three yrs. earlier. If anything, he wanted to be sure that the three of them would forget what happened so as to not upset anyone or ensue further plans soon to be unraveled with Master Xehanort. Terra attempted to question Ven of his own origins, but Ven responded only with screams and cries. Master Eraqus had told Terra and Aqua that Ventus could not tell them anything because he couldn't remember anything."

"WHERE IS HE? I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL KILL XENAORT IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO! SLIT HIS THROAT WITH MY KEYBLADE IF I HAVE TO! OH I'D LOVE TO POSSESS HIS BODY AND PROCEED TO EMASCULATE HIM BY CUT OFF HIS ABNORMALLY SIZED-" I screamed as Eleaus covered my mouth. My voice reverberating throughout the house. Eleaus had to hold me down, as I squirmed.

"Richy, continue with the story, I'm sure my wife will compose herself," remarked my husband looking angrily at me. I saw red all over again…

"Ah-Okay, Eleaus, as I was saying. Master Xehanort just disappeared after he dropped Ventus off. As soon as Ventus collapsed from Terra's probing questions, he entered a coma. Ven deserved a good rest, Aqua said. Aqua had told us that Ven was like a zombie, no memory or spoken language. Eventually Ven woke up and Aqua immediately notified Terra and Master Eraqus about it. He only pointed to objects and expressed himself in sign language or just in grunts. Sooner or later he would have to train. From training, he could learn to speak proper English again. Terra and Aqua felt that this was not the proper time for an engagement or even a wedding, because Ventus would be too much work. She thought that Ventus would be receiving too little attention than from Terra. He had only looked at Terra and Aqua as mutual friends and had no idea that she and Terra were actually lovers. Little did Ven know that he had a love of his own that he had long forgotten…Namine. After about four years, Ventus was functioning at Terra and Aqua's level and speaking in complete English sentences. You can say Terra and Aqua were more like surrogate parents to Ven. He had no use for sign language or side grunts to express himself. He was training and interacting with all his surroundings and soon forgot his little stint with Terra and almost entirely his encounters with Xehanort. His world only concerned his training with Eraqus, his room, his feelings, and friendship with Terra and Aqua. One day he was watching Terra and Aqua complete Master Eraqus's test for the Mark of Mastery. He even participated in one trail after Aqua had told him to run off to his room. Esmerelda and I both cared for your son's well being too. But Terra didn't want to baby Ven, for he was training just as hard as they were outside."

"Ventus and Aqua were particularly disappointed when Terra failed to keep the Darkness within him in check. Aqua fatefully apologized for this mishap. We are very proud of our daughter and always knew that she would come through as a Keyblade Master. Hopefully, Aqua like you and Eleaus can set things right in the universe, Maggie. Master Aqua….impressive huh? There is always next time for Terra and Ventus."

"So after that, when Terra and Ven had wondered off, Master Eraqus had given Aqua special knowledge about the Keyblade and the worlds. She was entitled to certain knowledge in contrast to Ven and Terra. However, as soon as Master Eraqus was about to explain this knowledge the bell rang and Terra had returned. Ventus was up in his room occupying himself with who knows what. Anyway, Master Eraqus had explained that he had gotten in contact with his old friend, Yensid who was master no more. He still keeps a close eye on the balance or light and darkness. He feared that the Princesses of Heart could have been in danger due to revival of darkness spread amongst the worlds and a rising force of monsters called the Unversed who feed on the emotions of negativity, and Master Xehanort's mysterious disappearance. Master Eraqus's attempts to reach him and failed, and he soon became suspicious of Xehanort's tactics. Terra and Aqua had a daunting task ahead of them and it was up to them to bring order to the universe. They could pass through the lanes between to travel to various isolating worlds. For Terra this could mean a second chance for him to change Eraqus's mind about the Mark of Mastery. However, he sensed that Terra was obsessed with power….hmmm…almost like his father with the Mafia. He advised Terra not to fear losing in competitions for fear would lead to obsession which would beckon the darkness. Eraqus always looked at Terra like his own son and wanted the best for him and never to forget this knowledge. Aqua told us that Terra wouldn't fail Eraqus again. However, as a double edged sword, as Terra left the room, the master showed his distrust for Terra. He told our daughter that he meant to give Terra a second chance of becoming a Keyblade master but was overcome by fear of the flames of darkness Terra displayed during the examination. Esmerelda and I surmised that the unbearable memories of the divorce, his father's and mother's deaths…that insecurity of succeeding…had not left him. Eraqus remarked that darkness must run very deep within Terra. The master told our daughter that if those powers were too much for Terra to handle that Aqua must bring him back. It was for Terra's own good. Eraqus did not want to lose him or the others to darkness. Aqua had promised the master so that she would bring him back, however, she still felt in her own heart that Terra was not as weak as Eraqus thought. Terra and her still cared for each other despite this daunting task. Would this spying affect their relationship…? Absolutely. But we will get to that one later. She walked outside to find Ventus running after Terra for no apparent reason. Soon he flew off to find Terra. It was too late for Aqua to catch up with the boys. Master Eraqus had urged Aqua to run after Ven. He could not under any circumstances leave the Land of Departure. She told us that she did not know exactly why, but followed the Master's orders and was off on her own journey. Esmerelda and I knew exactly why the Master had wanted Ventus to stay due to him being a part of creating the X-blade, as he was destined to by your father's mishaps, Maggie and for Master Xehanort's own gain. But Esmerelda and I stayed out of the picture so as to not upset anyone. We wanted Aqua to figure out this case on her own. We trusted her that she would find her friends and Master Xehanort."

"Master Yensid had spoken of Aqua traveling to many different worlds trying to find Terra and Ven and also defeating numerous Unversed….but no avail of Master Xehanort. She saw Terra and Ven each a couple of times. Aqua could sense that with each encounter she was growing more and more distant from her friends. Especially with attempting to lure Ventus back home to the Land of Departure. I'm sure it was hurting him badly that he was forced not to participate in Terra and Aqua's ventures. Aqua couldn't see that Ven wasn't a little kid anymore, for he was formulating new friendships of his own. If he hadn't left the Land of Departure, he would have never been exposed to the worlds around him. Imagine living your life inside a shell…not very fun. But Aqua only wanted to help him due to the Master's orders. Ventus, the energetic one he is, persistently disobeyed and continued to travel the worlds. Aqua went her own route too.

"Even her own romantic relationship with Terra seemed to be fading. She questioned the dangerous task Terra was referring to. He told her that he was taking a different route and fighting the darkness. Aqua had been to the same worlds as Terra and seen what he had done in bringing more of the Unversed out. Her spying eventually caught up with Terra. At the Radiant Garden, he had left Aqua telling her that he was on his own and to stay put. Those precious times they spent together, those private times Esemerelda and I will never know….gone forever. She cared more about the Master's orders and her status as a Keyblade master than that high striving young wide eyed warrior and she had let him go…Ventus had remarked that Aqua had become cruel and insensitive and that becoming a Keyblade master had gone too much to her head. As proud parents as we are, I think Aqua had become less than a Keyblade Master but more of a "teacher's pet." We were extremely disappointed with her. This encounter crushed any chance of seeing her boys again…or so she thought, which we will explain in a little bit. She was always reminiscing about old times, never exactly living in the present, about what was truly becoming of her friends. Aqua began to enter a serious nostalgia dilemma as she traveled through the worlds, none of the characters she met seemed to match the quality of character she had with Ventus or even Terra, formally her ex-boyfriend. Even Zach from the Olympus Coliseum wasn't enough for Aqua."

"Aqua eventually made her way to the Destiny Islands. She saw the Papoo trees and held her Way-finder tight. We had given her materials for making them before she left for the Land of Departure. We had always made them as kids out of sea shells, but whatever…Luckily, she had a chance to meet Sora Jr. and Riku. Both displaying similar personalities to Terra and Ventus strangely enough. She noticed that Riku had been passed the power and pondered whether or not it was Terra, but you never know…"

Sora Sr. was fiddling with his hands loudly all of the sudden. Haven looked at him and asked what was the matter, "Were you going to say something about Riku?"

"No dear, I wasn't," he said. I couldn't tell for sure, but I thought I saw Riku peaking through the back door and go back outside to join Sora.

How much of our conversation he had heard….hmmm….doesn't matter, you decide KH fans.

"Anyway, she remarked that one Keyblade was enough for any friendship and prayed about what was to become of her and her friends. She came to visit us at our home before she left to see Master Yensid. She began to tell us about her ventures from Eraqus to the Destiny Islands. We gave her plenty of materials and items in case the journey got rough. With tearful feelings, we said goodbye to our baby. Aqua said she wouldn't be long in returning home, especially in bringing Terra and Ven back. Yensid told us that he had spread the news to Aqua that Master Eraqus was struck down by Master Xehanort and Terra's aid. She denied the news and immediately came to the conclusion that she had to find the truth herself by traveling to the Keyblade Graveyard. Though he was an ex, Aqua still possessed feelings for Terra. She was not finished with him yet, if he still had feelings for her. It was a hostile place and she eventually met up with Terra. Terra confessed that he helped in destroying the Master and that the darkness had awakened inside him. He did need to be watch and vowed that he would not go astray. Aqua thought otherwise and said that Master Xehanort was feeding the dark fires within him and making him fight more. He would go astray….from all that she had seen Terra do from world to world and questioned how fighting would honor the Master's memory anymore. But what choice did they have? The Master was dead….nothing more but rage and a dream left to fulfill…everything they loved lost…except friendship and dwindled romance. Ventus soon appeared and told them how Master Eraqus had attempted to destroy him…Esmerelda and I could only surmise that it was because he was the X-blade forger. It scared him to death thinking he would have to face his destiny. He asked Aqua and Terra as his own loyal friends to just…..put an end to him…."

I couldn't believe my ears. What could have driven Ven to madness? Did he have no choice? Someone put him up to it, no one would make such a coward out of my child. I stood up in my chair, "I'LL KILL 'EM! I'LL KILL XEHANORT! HEWON'T KNOW WHAT F****IN HIT HIM!"

Eleaus held me down again. Whatever was said to Ventus, he probably had no choice. Someone or something had pushed him into the idea that human sacrifice would solve the problem or if he didn't fight it would be the end of his friends. Or even Master Eraqus pressured him….no. Ventus must have been driven to the point of no hope whatsoever that he was willing to sacrifice himself to save Aqua and Terra. Was he even aware of their romance? We didn't know…but I settled down.

"Anyway, the three of them eventually crossed paths with Master Xehanort! Master Xehanort monologued about the Keyblade War, the lifeless Keys from their former masters, and the X-blade and pointed toward Ventus. This resulted in an ultimate fight to the death. Terra eventually to square away his own score with Master Xehanort while Aqua tended to Ventus who was badly cursed during battle. Suddenly, a strange looking fellow with an eye patch and scars came upon the two of them. He seemed handsome, yet witty and terrifying at the same time to the point of provoking. The young man's name whom we would soon find out to be named Braig was one of Ansem the Wise's six beloved apprentices. This one seemed to be a little hot headed and rebellious as he had taken verbal shots at Ven and challenged Aqua to a dual. He lost, but planned to bide his time with them for something horrific was about to happen to Aqua and Ven. Before Aqua could think, Ventus had shouted out her name to look out. With a snap of a finger, Aqua was knocked out unaware of what had transpired upon Ven. She woke up at the sight of King Mickey and they found Ventus holding a particular looking blade. It was the X-blade and quickly Ventus began to attack Aqua. The King realized that it was not Ventus, but actually a dark spirited possessed within Ventus's heart and body. Aqua fought Ventus for a good long bit both sides never stepping down. Eventually, Aqua used the power of her own Keyblade and strangely enough a little prayer to her friends to give her strength to fight back. She clashed with Ventus several times and even managed to break the X-blade with enough exerted drive. The place went haywire and there was no controlling the broken weapon. Aqua saw Ven and observed the dark possessive powers of the spirit disappear….the bottom of the cliff exploded throwing the King, Aqua, and the lifeless son of yours into the air. Yensid had notified us that the three of them were in his grasp. Yensid could not pick up any sign of Terra….unfortunately. Aqua tried to wake Ventus up, but no avail. Master Yensid explained that his heart had left him and now he sleeps. If nothing is done, Ventus may be in that state forever….Hopefully, his heart is in a secure place. One person had faith in him….but who? We won't know, he or she must be a chosen one. Whoever has his heart can therefore wield the all-powerful Keyblade. Aqua had no choice but to choose a safe place to put Ventus until she patched things up. Though appearing totally catatonic, Ventus had lifted his hand up to form a portal toward the Land of Departure. He finally wished to return home.

Aqua had communicated with us that she was returning home. We pleaded her to come home to restock on materials. But she was reluctant and persisted that she had Ventus and the circumstances under control. When she arrived at the Land of Departure, the place was in shambles…rumble, cloudy weather, and a broken castle with only the hall showing. Technically, Sora Sr. and Haven didn't tell you, the place was destroyed after Terra had unintentionally aided Master Xehanort. It broke Aqua's heart not only to see this place, but to have failed Master Eraqus in his requests. These demands it seems only widened the gap in the three individual's friendship and most of all Terra and Aqua's eventual engagement and future marriage. Master Eraqus had told each of our classmates a secret to keeping the castle untouched by darkness since the Land of Departure was deemed holy ground. This was told once we were official Keyblade Masters. The castle would be transformed and anyone who would enter it would be lost to oblivion….no one would know of the castle's secrets except Aqua….our daughter and last apprentice of the master. Our last whereabouts of Aqua were her travels to the Radiant Garden, which was covered in darkness, she had heard that Terra was there supposedly….after that there was some battle and then nothing….the King or Yensid could never pick up on her or Terra again…"

**Chapt. 30**

"So that it all we know from various sources, guys," said Esmerelda.

I was speechless and so was Eleaus.

"We're bad parents, Eleaus…if only we had told Ventus soon," I cried. Eleaus remained composure.

"You both are the farthest people from bad parents, now is your chance to see your son," counseled Haven.

"I'll contact Yensid to place a special spell on you both so that you are free to roam about the castle without losing your memories," suggested Richy.

Eleaus and I bid our friends goodbye and patted Sora Jr. and Riku on the heads hopefully to see them again.

"Well, good luck with whatever it is you're doing," said Riku with a smile.

"We will, young man," said Eleaus.

I kneeled down and looked at Sora Jr, "Now you keep Riku safe, okay? You both will have such adventures together. Don't worry about us. We'll be back a little later."

Sora Jr. smiled and then suddenly I saw a tear run down his face.

"Sweetie, what wrong?" I asked. Haven rushed over.

Sora Jr. had touched his face, "That's weird. It's like something squeezing me on the inside. Like I'm never gonna see you again. I've been waiting to see you for a long time."

"We may not be your parents, but we are first and foremost your relatives, Sora," I said and patted him on the back.

"It's one thing when you don't forget your friends, but you can never, ever forget your own family," said Eleaus encouragingly.

Sora Jr. had wiped his tear, "You're right! What am I worried about?" He cocked head in a similar fashion to Ventus when he was around Sora's age. Strange….

We embraced Richy and Esmerelda for a long time, reassuring them we'd return to the Destiny Islands.

"Well we best be on our way," said Eleaus and waved his hand from the Gummi ship, "Next stop Master Yensid's Magical Tower, Mag."

"Yeah, I know," I said. "Be a good boy, Sora. We're always watching you and Riku. Of course your father and mother are too!"

I hugged Sora Jr. tight and I heard him slightly cry. His eyes were red.

"I think it's time for a nap!" suggested Haven and picked up Sora.

Sora Sr. hugged Eleaus in typical bromance fashion, "Remember be careful of the castle's surroundings. Aqua never checked to see if the place is completely safe from the Unversed or the Heartless."

"We won't forget, brother," said Eleaus, "Now let's go see our son!"

I climbed into the Gummi Ship and Eleaus and I continued to wave to our friends. We reached the uppermost atmosphere before finally breaking into space. Eleaus summoned his Keyblade and used it to program directions toward Master Yensid's. We were going at light speed toward the Tower. All I could think about was Ven….when he was a baby to the time when he told me of his crush on Namine. God what happened to that girl? Smile after smile after smile….I lost track of time until Eleaus and I finally reached the Tower.

We rushed across the lawn toward the entrance. However, several Heartless had blocked our way in. We summoned our Keyblades and fought against the Shadows and took on a few Soldiers. They were pretty easy to defeat, a few combo attacks and boom finished. I used more strength and defense and Eleaus had used more magic. He wasn't into getting his hands dirty than I was at the time. We finally finished the Heartless off and made our way up the stairs toward Yensid's office. As we went up the stairs we saw an array of movie screens which showed various Disney movies, most oldies. We saw screens for Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Pinocchio (which reminded me of Sora Jr. for some reason), Fantasia, Bambi, The Three Caballeros, Fun! Fun! Fun! and Fancy Free (Bongo the bear reminded me of Ventus being silly at times when he was young), Melody Time, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Sleeping Beauty. We finally made it up to Master Yensid's study. We opened the door to find the master staring straight at us. His hands were placed comfortably on his lap and his stars and moon pointed hat never seemed to get old on him. It had been years since Eleaus and I had since him. We stood up with our hands at our side and kneeled down before him.

"Ah, Maggie and Eleaus Lexeaus…now then, you've come here on a proposition?" the master asked.

I raised my head and nodded in approval.

"Yes we have, Master. My brother had connected with you recently about casting a special spell on my wife and I to enter the castle," explained Eleaus.

"I see. Please make your way the second room on your right," pointed the master. "Once you both are settled, we have more to discuss than just your visit to the Land of Departure."

Eleaus and I stepped into the second room and awaited our task. I knew that our mission was not over. We were both aged in our 60s, not exactly the age to do many things, but not with us. We had to find our son whether it cost us our lives or not. Empty nesters...ha!

"Now are you both ready?" asked Master Yensid.

"Are you sure you don't have any written information, no clues that would lead us to Ventus metaphysically speaking?" I asked.

The master nodded, "I will tell if I or Mickey find anything suspicious."

"That's wonderful, now work your stuff on us!" said Eleaus confidently.

With a wave of his hands, no wand mind you, white sparks appeared and flashed around Eleaus and I. I felt my skin tingle and blink, snow sprinkling about me. This was almost like Peter Pan sprinkling Tinkerbell's pixie dust to make Wendy, John, and Michael fly off to Neverland.

"How do you feel?" asked the master.

"I don't feel any different," said Eleaus as the white spark flakes disappeared around us.

"This spell will ensure you both that you are able to resist Eraqus's intended curse upon the holy ground. You may wander the castle but only once and you must leave before you two are lost to oblivion should you choose to explore the castle a second time."

"We will Master. I swear, we will not let you down," I said obediently.

"But once you leave the castle. There is no going back in. Ventus is safe where he is. You both must now do your part and search for his heart. It could be in any world. Recall old friends of his and check if they remember him. Inside people's memories an individual can live forever. See new sights, these might be worlds your son had journeyed to. They can lead you closer toward his heart. With his heart back, Ventus shall be the one who will open the door to the inner most light."

"He has another destiny?…." I asked absent mindedly.

Master Yensid had nodded, "Didn't you ever know, Maggie? Ventus was not merely a pawn to the X-blade, but a beckon of hope towards everyone. People including Master Xehanort were fighting over him. Your grandfather had rocked Xehanort's plans of creating the X-blade. He cursed your family so that he could get his hands on Ventus, because your family was particularly strong hearted. He craved the power you all had within you to be swayed from good to evil. I however had met with Amadeaus before he battled Xehanort. Amadeaus was a fierce friend of mine and I always knew that there was some mysterious untapped power within him, within your family. A prophecy that was passed down from one ancestor to another, this great power would present itself in one heir to defeat a darkness of great magnitude. I consoled Amadeaus to look into his future. A grandchild, his grandchild would be the one person should Amadeaus fail to defeat the darkness and open the door to the light. Master Xehanort had not yet known the dual side of Ventus's prophecy. For you see Maggie, your father was a man beyond his years and ahead of his time."

Master Yensid had smiled widely. I couldn't believe it. I could have saved my son! He was powerful already and I thought he was weak. Oh what a dumb*** I am…..Eleaus knews it. Stupidity and incompetency from a normal Keyblade wielding master and yet….I'm a mother.

"I think it's time for us to go, Yensid. We appreciate everything you have done for us," remarked Eleaus.

The master nodded, "Now go off, Eleaus and Maggie, your Ventus is waiting!"

Eleaus and I put our hands in salute and ran out the door. We faintly heard the master disappear into the night into tiny light specks.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapt. 31**

Eleaus had programmed directions for the Gummi ship to take from the Tower toward the Land of Departure. Three long days past before we finally made it to the destination. Eleaus and I parked the ship and stepped outside. The air felt cool and the ground was covered in light snow. All around us were dark shadows and misty black clouds. The sun began to faintly shine through a dark cloud revealing the top of the castle. This was not the Land of Departure we knew from before. This was a disguise…the curse must have done something to shield the castle's original appearance from the monsters and Master Xehanort. Eleaus and I could not do anything about it…we had no choice, we had to enter the castle….this Castle Oblivion…whatever it may be called. We both held each other tight and stepped forward to the door. We summoned our Keyblades and projected light to opening the door. Nothing happened…we turned our backs to see if anyone or anything was following us. Suddenly the door creaked open ever so slightly….

"_Come in…."_ said a voice.

Eleaus and I shivered and turned our heads around. It sounded like Master Eraqus. Was it his ghost or a figment of our imaginations? Eraqus was gone, vanished from the face of the world….

I ran up to the door and opened it wider and wider. Eleaus and I peeked inside, but all we saw was a completely lit, blindly white hall way. The ceilings were high with flying buttresses, no pictures or candles to decorate the place.

"_I've been expecting you both for a __**long time **__and I welcome you to my home…"_ said the voice again.

Eleaus and I continued to walk and the door shut tight behind us. There was no going back now…

"Master Eraqus? Is that you?" shouted Eleaus.

No one answered.

"Eleaus, this place is getting me spooked. I mean he may be our master, but he's gotta be dead? Right?" I asked still clutching my husband.

"I don't know, Mag. I just don't know," said Eleaus.

I heard a windy howling sound coming from up the hallways. We both ran with our Keyblades in hand up the stairs toward two more passages. We didn't hear or see Master Eraqus around these levels of stairs at least not yet. With each hallway passage, crown shaped cards appeared before our eyes. We used them to unlock doors that led us to the strangest places and tunnels. These rooms were modeled off to look like other worlds. Would these places be the worlds Yensid would have us visit? They sure looked like fun and the characters looked amusing too. I realized that this was a world based on memory…these worlds were worlds that Ventus had visited not too long ago. Almost like the memories were as fresh as ever. But Venuts was strangely not present in any of these worlds. Were we supposed to lose our memories now? That spell Yensid cast on us was strong no doubt. It felt like we were traveling forever to get up to the top level. We didn't lose our memories, but we were losing our strength.

"Aw, man. Eleaus, let's cure ourselves now…." I said in a lagging voice.

"Okay, sounds like a plan…ah….HEAL!" cast Eleaus on both of us.

We were both energized and ready to take on the final floor hopefully not another boss like we did the rest of the floor worlds. Eleaus opened the door with the last key card. Ventus must have been around there somewhere, we just knew it…Suddenly, Eleaus and I heard two voices…

"_Master, what are you?"_

"_The X-blade has no place in this world. Xehanort has made his purpose clear and I am left with no choice. Forgive me. But you must exist no more!"_

The lights went out in the hallway immediately. Except for one in the middle. A shadowy figure had appeared in the form of Master Eraqus. However, he was in a different outfit and his skin was the color of the Shadow Heartless. He was still and placid standing and only possessed a sharp, spikey ended Keyblade. Eleaus and I cautious made our way over to him. His head began to rise ominously and we both jumped back that instant. His face was laden with great yellow eyes. He unveiled a sly smile the likes I had not seen since I viewed the movie _Psycho_, specifically the final scene in the incarceration of the murderous young man and his descent into madness. Eraqus's mouth opened, showing fangs similar to Dracula about to charge at us at any moment. Death seemed imminent and we would never be able to save our Ventus from eternal damnation. Eleaus and I switched into attack mode ready to shred this demon. Eleaus cast under his breath a special Thunder spell, while I preferred straight up bashing.

"**Why….hello PUPILS? CHILDREN? READY TO BE EXTINGUISHED FOR TODAY'S LESSON?"** he exclaimed and cackled loudly as he began to sprint toward us with maniac eyes.

Was this intended to scare off perpetrators by Master Eraqus's or Aqua's undoing or did Master Xehanort have a hand in attempting to keep Ventus to himself? Even worse I feared...was this just a lingering sentiment of the darkness in Master Eraqus's heart? The part of him that Xehanort so longed to unlock? Whatever it was, it was Eleaus and I's duty to vanquish this parasite from attacking Ventus. He had tried to before, but we had no idea why. The toxic residue from the shadowy figure dripped all over the room, forcing Eleaus and I to be extra careful. There was no door around us….this creature must have been searching the whole castle for the door to Ventus…Was Master Eraqus that thirsty for power? How well did actually we know him? This all scared Eleaus and I. The creature was pretty relentless as we kept on fighting. No matter how hard we attacked and cast spells, nothing would crack the shadowy and violent Eraqus. Eleaus then came up with an idea….

"Dear, go to the opposite side of the room! Remember that movie Iron Man 2 when Don Cheedle and Robert Downey Jr. combine electric powers on the iron giant?" asked Eleaus.

"Yeah!" I shouted still fencing the creature.

"Let's do it! Using our Keyblades!"

The creature roared as we both spread to opposite sides of the room and concentrated our powers. Eraqus was in the middle of the room, hotheaded and ready for the kill with one final attack to annihilate us both. The points of our Keyblades shone as they faced each other. The tips of light were growing and growing and growing as a lighted center began to formulate around the creature.

"THREE!"

"TWO!"

"ONE!"

The whole room blew up and I heard a screeching noise from the middle as the light was blinding Eleaus and I. After five minutes, the original lights came back on and in the middle of the room lay the dead shadowy figure of Eraqus. His yellow eyes and face were lifeless and slowly began to fade back into a pool of darkness through a portal in the floor. The room was spotless like nothing or no one was ever there.

"_Thanks, guys,"_ said another voice that sounded almost angelic.

Suddenly out of nowhere, at the top of the ceiling a trap door appeared. Eleaus and I felt as though we were levitating upward.

"_Nobody has ever figured this out except you both."_

We finally landed after 10min. of flights of levels, the tippy top of the castle. This was it, the big one!

We were outside a chamber that had lighted chains blinking and shimmering across the door. Eleaus and I used our Keyblades to open the door up and shut it behind us once we were in the chamber.

Eleaus stood there with eyes becoming red and full of tears. I knew what he was seeing and it was absolutely real….our son Ventus sitting down in a throne-like chair, catatonically sleeping before our very eyes.

**Chapt. 32**

It was Ventus. Our son, except he wasn't a kid anymore. He was a full grown teenager, 15 1/2yrs. old. His demeanor and trance like state resembled "Sleepy Beauty". Golden sun shine in hair, fair tan skin, and an innocent smile that could light up the whole room. In angel sleep, he found repose….oh Maleficent, again. Eleaus ran all the way across the room.

"THAT'S MY SON! IT'S MY BOY!" he cried and hugged him.

Eleaus began to wail and bawl loudly that it reverberated across the room. I began to hug my angel too. I stroked his soft hair and recalled times when he was still conscious.

"Oh, Ven. We will think of a way to get you back to normal. We must!" I thought. I began to make my way into the chair. I asked Eleaus if he could place Ventus on my lap. He did just that. I began to sing "When You Wish Upon a Star" to Ventus.

"If You're heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme when you wish upon a star, as dreamers do, Fate is kind, she brings to those who love, the sweet fulfillment of the secret LOOOOOONNNGGGING! Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you through, when you wish upon a star as dreamers dooooooooo…." I sang.

Eleaus finished, "Hoooooo...When you wish upon a star your dreams…..come true!"

We both sighed. Now I wasn't sure but I thought I saw a little smile running across Ventus's face after we finished the lullaby. Maybe his subconscious was getting him, you never know. Maybe he wasn't truly gone.

Eleaus began to feel cold and put his hand on his head. It looked as though he was about to collapse. Maybe the spell was beginning to slowly wear off.

"Mag, we gotta get going. We have to find Ven's heart, like the master said," said Eleaus.

"But we're finally together," I said hugging Ven.

"If we dwell here, Ventus's life could be in more and more danger or whoever is possessing his heart will be," said my husband. "We'll also lose our own memories and never be able to recall anyone or anything again, so leave him here so he can rest."

I looked back at my son with a heavy heart and I'm pretty sure it was hard on Eleaus. Ventus was all we ever had, nothing more and nothing less. No grandparents and no higher authority like Master Eraqus to guide us….we were on our own.

"Say your last goodbyes to him, Eleaus," I cried.

Eleaus knelt down and patted Ven on the head.

"Don't worry, bud. We won't let anything harm you ever again. We will find a way to fix this," said Eleaus reassuringly.

I stood at the door while Eleaus talked to Ventus a little more.

"Mag, take out your mini radio and play another Disney song, 'Beauty and the Beast,' it'll cheer him up," Eleaus suggested.

I took out my radio and played the song. It filled up the entire room. This was actually the first Disney movie and song we introduced Ventus to when he was a baby. He loved the movie to point where he could watch it again and again and it would never get old. His favorite characters were Lumiere, Cogsworth, Chip, Gaston, and Lefou most of all. He was always entranced by the ballroom scene between Belle and the Beast. Him and his PJs with his favorite blanket with hands on his face lying down watching the sequence. Ven told me once that Namine reminded him of Belle…very adorable.

As Eleaus and I slowly made our way out of the chamber, the song was ending, "Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast, off to the cupboard with you now Chip, it's past your bedtime….Goodnight, love," Eleaus and I shut the door once Angela Lansbury said that line. The last bits of the piano solo accompanied my husband and I as we slowly made our way down the stairs and towards the bottom level of the castle. We made our way outside and looked up at Castle Oblivion. We felt the last embers of the spell wear off on us.

_"See you soon."_

"Did you hear that, Mag?" asked Eleaus.

"Not if you didn't want me to answer about it," I smiled.

I saw the gray clouds shroud over the top most portion of the castle.

"I say, let's start with Beast's Castle?" asked Eleaus.

I looked up at him and kissed him on lips for a good 6 seconds.

"Sounds like a plan, let's play the soundtrack on our way there and watch the movie!" I proposed.

As we opened up the movie, the preview for the Beauty and the Beast showed the 25min. scene cut of "One Man's Dream" about Walt Disney. The last line of the movie included the saying "If you can dream it, you can do it!" Eleaus and I both held hands and sat back and relaxed to enjoy the magic of Beauty and the Beast in our own private Gummi Ship. We were coming for Ventus no matter what.

**Chapt. 33**

Well our journey began. Just Eleaus and I against the whole universe. The two of us, our Keyblades, the lands between, and the darkness pervading from Master Xehanort. We actually thought we would be on our own or so we thought!

_"Hey! Need a helping hand?!"_ shouted a voice over the intercom.

Eleaus and I turned our heads and paused _Beauty and the Beast_ at the part where Gaston was singing his song.

Low and behold, there was Richy and Esmerelda in their own Gummi ship right next to ours.

"We weren't gonna sit back and watch you guys get killed or hurt out there. We are in this together! The four of us against the darkness! For Terra, Aqua, and Ven!" proclaimed Richy.

"Anything to save Aqua!" shouted Esmerelda, "We are with you guys to very end!"

"Where are you headed off to? Where ever you go we'll go with you!"

"Well, we were thinking of heading to Beast's Castle. It's in a country called France? Never heard of it, but they have good food there. Let's check it out to see if they are dwelling there," said Eleaus.

"Yeah, Eleaus and I were playing _Beauty and the Beast_ and got inspired to go to Beast's Castel first. It was Ventus's first Disney movie. Possibly his heart might be guided there," I remarked.

"What are we waiting for let's go! Maggie play the movie and hook it up to our screen so Richy and I can view it!" said Esmerelda, "I'm always up for Disney movies, especially _Beauty and the Beast_."

"Okay got it!"

After hooking up the video to the second Gummi ship the four of us were on our way to Beast's Castle (not to mention laughing all the way).

Eleaus said that, "we have to search every minute detail and almost every place in each world in order to find Ventus's heart. I know this is going to take a long time, guys, but we have to commit to this. Maggie, he is still our son and our responsibility."

I had to put my age and retirement aside in order to do what was right for the family. Ventus was out there and I knew it. I heard him….I just know I did. Richy and Esmerelda had given Eleaus and I Wayfinders upon graduation from Master Eraqus's. Mine was over forty two years old, can you believe it? I held it to my chest and thought, "Ven….hang in there, buddy. Daddy and I are on our way."

**Chapt. 34 **

Our Gummi Ships happened upon a small world shaped almost like a wide apple pie piece…our map said that it was France. Hopefully someone there would give us a clue as to where Ven was. Eleaus surmised that we would spend a maximum of 127 days in each world. If we love our son, we must go on ahead and carry out our duty. For all Richy and Esmerelda knew Aqua herself could be pursuing the same goal. We were all in it together. But first we had to find a place to stay. Hopefully it would be someplace hospitable. The Gummi ship traveled through the upper and lower most atmospheres of the world and eventually landed in a sea of trees within a dense forest. The four of us climbed out of our Gummi Ships and pondered our surroundings. The trees were lifeless, yet foreboding at the same time. The sky was a goldish, brownish color and leaves wrestled in the air. Fog began to take form on our feet and the air became tightened, almost clausterphobic around us.

"What is this place?" asked Richy.

(howls in the background)

Esmerelda shivered, "R-Richy I think those were werewolves…."

"Gee, you think? Let's get our supplies out and run. They aren't that close to us!" commanded Eleaus.

We got our supplies and looked to the nearest possible road sign to show us a way to a village, town, or city. There was no turning back. I was sure the Gummi Ships would be alright because Eleaus had cast a spell on them to ensure no damage from outside forces including werewolves. We hustled and hurried through the bushes until we reached a small bridge. We realized that it was lighter outside here than it was in the forest. Before us we gazed upon a quaint countryside of bushels and tiny cottages. The mountains were vast structures that added life to scene. The sun shone bright and overbearing over our heads. We saw common folk working the fields for diverse crops such as corn, wheat, and vegetables. It looked like a painting if such a person got inspired to create one so. I had definitely considered using this place a retirement setting than the Destiny Islands. However, Eleaus had told me that if we dwelled here, we would be meddling in other worlds' affairs. People would then become suspect of us and turn us in prison. It's a shame, I wish the worlds had more contact with each other, after all we are connected under one great big sky. For the time being, I had to cooperate with these rules. Richy and Esmerelda had asked some peasant if we could borrow his horse and buggy so we could tour the valley. They said that we were trying to rent a place to stay. The peasants kindly obliged. Pretty humble people around here….The valley road stretched for miles as we saw many homes around. The mixture of forest, mountains, bushes, and cottages created such a traditional scene almost out of _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_.

The four of us finally came to a provincial town bustling with market people and businessmen. Simple and yet constant action within the town. We parked our buggy and took a stroll around the place. We stocked up on food and drink for our potential home. Eleaus knew that if we were to live here, then we would have to find jobs that would pay our way of living.

"Let's purchase a house first, then we'll take care of the jobs," I proposed, before Eleaus could speak.

"Sounds like a plan, let's visit the residence coordinator," said Richy.

We asked around to see where the resident coordinator was. We found her standing just outside her office advertising her own business for newcomers.

"Why hello friends my name is Rhonda….I would be more than happy to help you find a place to stay….127 days you said? That's unusual, but oh well…follow me!" she said.

We made our way just outside the town square. The cottage was a little bit on the tiny side but built next to a medium sized house with a steel rooster as a lightning rod. Something told me that we would have very eccentric neighbors….

"Well enjoy your stay friends!"

"Who are those people living next door to us?" I asked.

"Oh them….ugh…that's Maurice and Belle. You wouldn't like them, they are not like us in anyway shape or form. One invents and one reads too much. We do farming around here, we don't industrialize nor have our little girls read books, too much for them to handle."

I was shocked and without words. The residence coordinator walked away. What's wrong with a girl reading? Or an individual engineering new designs? This all puzzled me very much. What really troubled me was a little girl's inability to supposedly read. Reading meant education, which meant higher positions in society later in life.

"Maggie, are you okay, dear. You look like your about to burst open about something," my husband said and put his arms around me.

"I'm fine. I just felt….a bit insulted about women's place here in this town," I said.

"Oh! Don't worry about that stuff, Mag. Did Master Eraqus look at you any differently? No. Did I look at you any differently as a girl? No. Everyone was equal at the Land of Departure," reassured my husband.

"Yeah…You're right," I said.

Although I always thought that Master Eraqus had a bias against boys fearing that they might abuse the power of the Keyblade as compared to girls. But overall he treated everyone the same despite our differences. Everyone especially read because reading was important to becoming a Keyblade Master and communicate with everyone. It was only for 127 days, I could muster it. I wanted to meet the neighbors, but Eleaus, Richy, and Esmerelda had told me to wait until the neighbors knocked on the door. They would probably invite us over their house or bring over dessert. Good proposition!

The four of us dispersed into town in search of jobs. Eleaus had gotten a job as a baker's assistant, Richy landed a job in clay making for pots and bowls, and Esmerelda was accepted into a job with cattle grazing. As for me, I was a reading tutor for this other family that had moved into the town the same time as our new neighbors a while ago. Their son had serious reading comprehension difficulties and needed some help. He wasn't failing, but he just needed an extra push to get him up to par with his peers. What was this young 15yr. lad's name….Gaston. He had a little sidekick named Lefou which he always loved to partial abuse. However, they were the best of friends. Gaston, a child, had the largest ego I think of any boy I met. Besides, while I was tutoring him one day, he would smile and make little girls faint before him…it was very disturbing. With one wink of an eye or teeth showing, they fell for him. Lefou would always be there to cheer Gaston on. I think Ventus was a little more humble about his emotions and feelings toward women than this Gaston kid. I was thinking was this the same guy I viewed in the video Eleaus and I were watching. Was Disney a visionary or of what to predict these character's futures? I don't know…but anyway. He seemed to get better and better with each session. However one thing that would always piss me off was how he jumped onto the table and ask me if was growing muscles anytime soon. I'm sure he would, but I had a feeling we would have to do something or maybe the muscles would come with puberty. It worked with Eleaus. Gaston had proposed that in order for him to become stronger he would have to lift weights and eat four dozen eggs to achieve stature. Pretty big goals for a small boy, would it earn him the girl of his dreams? I don't know….but you guess, if you watched _Beauty and the Beast_.

Over the past 127 days I had gotten to know the neighbors too. The household consisted of Maurice, an inventor, and Belle, a bright young girl with her head always in books. They weren't odd, just different from everyone else. Maurice would always have the four of us over for dinner every Tuesday and Thursday. Of course both of us were welcome to have each over anytime. Maurice always felt out of place in town. He had gone to a place called a college in his youth and had since been practicing. He was about 10 yrs. younger than Eleaus, Richy, Esmerelda, and I. He specialized in many different types of engineering, he loved it so much. Maurice had been a widower unfortunately for about 10yrs. too. It was hard on Belle to accept her mother's sudden death at such an age. She was only 1 yr. old and the pregnancy caused her mother to hemorrhage. She had to stay in the hospital for a time. Hopefully she would get better, but to no avail….Belle and Maurice only had each other and no one else. Belle didn't have any real friends for her escapes were books, mountains and mountains of books. Maurice encouraged Belle to read, since her mother had given him thoughts about their daughter being more educated than the rest. It's a shame….Maurice and Belle moved to the provincial town about several years ago. It has been hard for Belle to make friends. The only mutual friend she had was the librarian. He seemed to be the only "educated" one of the population. He could not understand why women were denied the rights to read. There were always women stopping by in the library, but they were always discouraged to drop their books and work at home. I had never seen a dynamic like it….I guess there were women less privileged than me. I wonder would happen if anyone of them tried to use the Keyblade to protect the town. I could imagine, "No, guarding and fighting is men's work, not women's." Interesting thought, right? Maybe I had a different opinion or maybe I was more progressive than these people….you know.

Anyway, Belle had told me that there was this one particular boy named Gaston that took interest in her immediately when he saw her. He would always try to taunt her into someday marrying her. Belle was highly doubtful that such a thing would happen. She had intentions of marrying someone who had brains and could see her for who she was on the inside not the outside. Belle knew that she had beauty, but that was only a part of her. She told me that somewhere out there was a man with class and integrity to provide a better life for her. I encouraged her that dreams can come true. She shouldn't change who she is because for all we know she might regret it in the end if someone shared her same traits. Belle told me that wanted out of the provincial town, even though it was the best her father could do for her, possibly all they could afford. I told the two of them that they would find a way. If her father did inventions, he could compete in a fair somewhere and once they make enough money they would be able to move someplace else. This gave Maurice an idea! From then on, he took my advice and got to work on various inventions that would win him tons and tons of money at the fair.

Overall the four of us had a pretty decent life in the provincial town. We made decent money along with it. Ventus's heart however was of no avail in this town. Why were we wasting our time here? Surely it wasn't wasted until Richy had happened upon something unusual in the forest. He had become quite curious about the place and chose to wander off.

"Okay, I was in the forest last week. Even though it's snowy outside. I kept walking and walking and walking. Surprisingly there were no wolves…until….I came upon these vast gates and can you believe it…a castle. It must be Beast's Castle! The prince must live there, along with all those characters from the movie! Pretty sweet huh? Let's go there now! Ventus could be there or maybe even Aqua!" proposed Richy.

"We must pack our supplies! We still have two weeks until we move onto the next world," Esmerelda said.

We packed up our bags, provisions, and convertible mattresses. We bid farewell to our bosses and neighbors. I hope Belle would have a chance to escape, which she eventually would….I didn't tell her about the movie, because that would have been meddling. Gaston and Lefou, well they are just your average sex-slapstick combo. They both seemed harmless, what could go wrong in this world?

We sold the property a week later and took our own horse and buggy and ventured off into the woods. The forest looked different in the wintertime, certainly more alive than before when we came here with shimmering icicles and powdered snow caps. Eleaus summoned his Keyblade to point in the direction where the Gummi Ships laid. Eventually, we brushed through the trees to find the Gummi Ships untouched. We climbed into them and used our GPSs to pinpoint Beast's Castle. It was quite a distance from the provincial town. Finally Eleaus saw something shining over a great cliff. It was Beast's Castle, however, it did not have a foreboding appearance…strange. I thought that castle would be dark and dreary on the outside. The castle gleamed in the night as the moon shone upon it. We parked the Gummi Ships outside the iron gate and stepped toward the stone pathway leading to a great wooden door.

_"BRING ME MY PRESENTS!"_ shouted a juvenile voice.

Eleaus noticed that the door was slightly open and the four of us stepped inside. We were in the great hall and the stairs led to a ballroom.

_"AWWWW…JUST GIVE IT TO ME!_ (ripping) _A STORYBOOK, YOU CALL THIS A PRESENT?"_ the voice said again.

We had our ears up against the ballroom door. Whoever was talking must be extremely spoiled…was it the Prince, meaning the future Beast? He sounded so different and yet had the same demeanor. He possessed a spry and quick wit attached to his voice. We suddenly heard strange organ music being played by this British fellow, named Forte. A few seconds later after the Prince insulted the organist, a knock came at the door.

_"WHO DISTURBS MY CHRISTMAS?"_ shouted the Prince.

I had completely lost track of time while we were in France. I guess it was Christmas night? We had to hide the Prince was coming to the door…The four of us hid in a mini alcove and peered over the stairs to see where the Prince was going. He looked around Belle's age, though they seemed like two complete opposites. Amazing how they would someday get together. It was the old women with the rose….

_"I DON'T NEED A ROSE. GO AWAY YOU WRETCHED OLD HAG!"_ the Prince denounced.

As soon as the Prince closed the door, the old hag's appearance melted away to reveal the Enchantress. She casted spells like I never saw before and even casted spells upon the castle subjects. It was what I saw in the movie before my very eyes…pretty intimate than watching it on screen.

_"UNLESS YOU ABLE TO LOVE ANOTHER AND EARN THEIR LOVE IN RETURN, YOU SHALL BE DOOMED TO BE A BEAST FOR ALL TIME!"_ the Enchantress proclaimed.

This was horrific and Eleaus held onto me. An 11yr. old being cursed for life, all for being a little spoiled…I mean every kid gets over it sometime. Or will they? I didn't know, but somehow the whole curse didn't seem... well, morally right…but there nothing I could do. The damage was done as the Prince lay on the ground screaking for life as he watched his whole face change in the mirror given to him and a rose in a glass jar. His fate was bound to those objects and the Enchantress disappeared after that. The Prince became the Beast. He lay unconscious on the floor of the great wooden door. The castle subjects helped move him to the West Wing and made sure not to wake him. The four of us followed them carefully up the stairs. It had become a dreary place since the Enchantress left. As a matter of fact, the whole castle seemed dreary…it didn't glisten the same as when we saw it last. The rose the Enchantress had offered would bloom until his 21st birthday. It would be a long way to go, and yet, Eleaus and I were on our own journey. Would we come out alive, we didn't know….all that mattered was that we find Ven. The question was that how would we enquire about Ventus…we couldn't just introduce ourselves out of the blue. Esmerelda came up with a plan….we would transform ourselves into castle antromorphic objects like Lumiere, Cogsworth, or Mrs. Potts. We had to think of small, touchable objects. But what? I chose to be a feather duster, Eleaus chose to be a fork, Richy was another clock, and Esmerelda was a candlestick. Esmerelda had taken out her Keyblade and thought of a spell that Master Eraqus had taught us from the past. I felt myself shrink and my legs become lighter. I looked at myself in the glass window and almost screamed. Eleaus took his sharp arms around my mouth, "Do not make a fuss, Mag. No meddling, remember?!"

"Yeah, but you don't have to strangle me to spread the message," I retorted.

The four of us followed the castle subjects to the kitchen. Everyone was doing their duty, like nothing had happened….pretty strange if you ask me after being through such a traumatic experience with the spell.

_"Mama!? Do I have to be stuck like this?"_ asked a voice, which sounded like Chip.

_"Yes, my dear. It's the plan….it is unfortunate. But we have to make the best with what we got,"_ said a second voice which sounded like his mother, Mrs. Potts.

She put Chip into a wooden tub, washed him off, and put him to bed in the cupboard.

_"Ohhhhhh….this is terrible. What-What-What will we do? I was wonderful, masterful, attractive…"_ said a Maurice Chevalier sounding voice, Lumiere, I presumed?

_"Oh shut up, you! It's the Master's fate or we are finished. His castle, his rules. I don't want to rock any boats! And YOU SIR ARE CERTAIN ONE DO IT,"_ proclaimed another voice which was I believe Cogsworth.

"Ha, mon ami, speak for yourself. I'll find a way to brighten this place up," said Lumiere.

"I can clean and do things MUCH more efficient than you. You, you, you and your goggling with those women. You couldn't even hold leadership!"

"LEADERSHIP! AH! You can't think beyond your own two eyes. My style outmatches your pompousness. I have a special place here if you don't know by now. Why are you here?"

"Because the Master hired me so! And besides…" Cogswoth whispered. "My job pays well, BETTER THAN YOURS!"

The four of us could not stop laughing. We laughed so hard that he pushed the door to kitchen open and rolled on the floor. We looked up to find everyone staring at us….

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" asked Lumiere inquisitively.

"We…uh…I…uh," I stammered.

"Why we have helpers, Lumiere!?" said Cogsworth excited.

"Y-Yes! We're here to help. We couldn't help overhearing you guys argue," said Richy.

"To tell you guys the truth, especially you and Lumiere, you make us laugh! We were all too shy to come up to you and say something all this time with the Master and all," said Esmerelda.

"Oh, well thank you, my dear," remarked Mrs. Potts.

"We really need to get this place going. If the Master wants to find true love, the environment of the whole castle must match somehow with it!" said Lumiere.

"Oh, yes. Just because the curse made the place dreary. Doesn't mean we can't make it better for the Master," proclaimed Mrs. Potts.

"Come on, Cogsworth. Have a heart! It might be fun," said Lumiere temptingly.

"Awww….grrrr…alright," said Cogsworth reluctantly.

So we all made a team plan that the next seven days be dedicated to perfecting every aspect of Beast's Castle. We did this all without the Beast knowing it. The Beast was always awake at night and could never tell the difference since everything was dark. A night-owl huh? Could be some advantage…We cleaned up diverse areas of the castle such as the garden, the bridge and lake areas, dusted statues, swept sidewalks, organized the kitchen, cleaned the ballroom, bedrooms, and used our Keyblades to seal secret passages. We used Keyblades as human beings without the servants noticing. Lumiere was always attempting to romance Esmerelda and I. But Eleaus and Richy always butted in. Lumiere was sweet, but the only things that drove us apart were that I was married to the best man in the world, had a child, and I WAS SECRETLY HUMAN. But he was too, but you get what I mean KH fans! I wasn't going to be stuck as an anthromophic object for years….(smiles). At the end of the week, our last week actually, we double checked our work.

"Everything is under control, dears! We did it!" said Mrs. Potts.

"Yeah, we couldn't have done it without you," remarked Chip.

_"OH YOU COULDN'T? COULD YOU?"_ roared a voice.

We turned around and low and behold in the dusk light, was the Beast. He looked menacing, but I knew from the movie that he had different side to him. He just wasn't sure of it, yet.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" asked the Beast.

"What are you talking about? We are servants of your castle, sir," said Eleaus.

"No, you are not. I sense it. Show yourself!" demanded the Beast.

We had no choice and there was potential for violence within him. We summoned our Keyblades and with that came our transformation back into human beings. Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and Chip stepped back in shock.

"HOW LONG have you been here?" asked the Beast.

"For a week. Since you were cursed…we are looking for my son, Ventus. His heart dwells somewhere and we thought it would be with you or the others," I said trying to hold back my tears.

"WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU STRANGERS ANYTHING?" he remarked back.

"Because our son's life is the balance as is yours. Ventus is a Keybearer just like us. He was our pride and joy and a great enemy of ours toyed with him to the point of destruction, just as the Enchantress did to you…and now he sleeps, almost catatonic. His heart according to higher authorities would be found in a person who truly believed in him. Would it be you or the others?" I asked.

"Richy and I are also looking for our Aqua. She is friend of Ventus and we believe she might be wandering the worlds or darkness…we don't know," said Esmerelda.

Eleaus also felt a strong compulsion to speak in case the Beast retorted with something more drastic, "And our good friend, Terra, he seems lost into darkness too, but again we don't know where he is because of the mysterious, untamable Master Xehanort."

The Beast's expression changed. Something had ticked inside himself to feel sympathetic for our journey. He suddenly turned away, and motioned us toward the parlor. He sat down in one of his chairs, a saddened air overtook him. The servants had followed him from behind and gathered around.

"Master, they are our friends now. You can trust those four," said Cogsworth.

The Beast looked back at us and rose from his seat.

"I have not seen your Ventus, Aqua, or Terra. I'm sorry, but I am going through a very rough period in my life. I'm pretty sure you four are too. But there is nothing here. I suggest you leave the castle and proceed to another world. Maybe you will find luck there. If we find anything suspicious, my servants and I will be sure to contact you. But now is not the time….now go. Goodbye to the four of you," said the Beast solemnly.

And with that, the four of us turned our backs and left the Castle. The Beast and the servants were still watching us until we came to the great wooden door. Richy and Esmerelda closed it and we ran across the stoned pathway to the Gummi ships to move on to someplace else. We were all quite as we made our way into space, all of us concerned for the Beast's wellbeing, for all knew Ven had gone through as worse a fate. I turned to Eleaus and asked where we would go now.

"Hmm…into the _Aladdin_ soundtrack?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapt. 35**

It took us over three days to reach Agrabah. All the while the four of us watched _Aladdin_ or listened to the soundtrack to get in the mood for what and whom we would meet. Eleaus spotted a dusty looking world with a humongous castle and a cave shaped in the face of a tiger at the bottom.

"Let's land…to the Cave of Wonders!" he proclaimed.

"Are you really sure about this Eleaus?" Richy asked.

"I'm sure of it!"

"If you say so…"

So we surged forward into what looked like storm clouds headed in our direction. Esmerelda and Eleaus put on their fog lights to steer past the dust clouds. I saw lightning bolts flash on all sides of our ships. We landed the Gummi Ships to find ourselves raptured in a sandstorm. We surmised that we should wait until the catastrophe subsided in order for us to successfully roam about the world. Richy and Esmerelda hooked up their Gummi Ship with ours in order for us to maintain adequate contact and potentially sleep over. We watched Disney movies and shared stories about our kids in the meantime and eventually went to bed.

_"Men we've found captives! There are within the ships!"_ shouted a voice outside the ship.

I woke up and heard screaming and yelling coming from the doorway. I poked my head up at the window of the Gummi ship screen. There before my very eyes stood a stampede of bandits. I fell back in my seat while they began to riot. I ran to wake my friends up and told Eleaus that bandits were going to invade the ships.

"Don't worry, Mag. All we have is our Keyblades. We'll think of a way to see past these buffoons," my husband said valiantly.

"Yes, we'll have to deal with them now if we want to search the world and find my daughter and Ven," said Esmerelda.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get 'em!" proposed Richy summoning his Keyblade.

The three of us did the same and burst open the doors to our connecting Gummi Ships. We all screamed at the top of our lungs toward the billowing fools the bandits were and branished our Keyblades!

Until…..the leader had unmasked himself.

"Why hello, newcomers…" the mysterious leader had said harmlessly.

The four of us stopped in our tracks. A teenage boy with wavy hair and purple, black, and white clothing appeared by his side. He looked familiar, almost like leader, but without the moustache.

"We welcome you, to Agrabah. I am Cassim, the King of Thieves, and these are my men. And this is my son, Aladdin," said the proud leader.

I was in shock….but not surprisingly so. I knew it all along. Aladdin seemed tough on the outside, but I could see a shy side. He walked up to Eleaus and I and looked at us carefully. His puzzled attitude toward us reminded me of my own son strangely enough.

"They don't seem like threats, Dad. Maybe they could help us…" offered Aladdin.

I thought that this was probably before he was abandoned, I figured. I didn't know what would come between them…Eventually the four of us were told to follow the Band of Thieves to their own hideout deep within the recesses of the Agrabah sewers. The tunnels were almost claustrophobic and I needed to hold onto Eleaus for support. The tunnels to seem to go on forever and ever until Cassim and Aladdin led us to their liar. It contained high ceilings and can you believe it….mountains and mountains of treasures and lost or probably stolen jewels.

Our eyes boggled at the sight of this vista. Was it real? Were we greedy for that stuff? Absolutely. These things could help us pay our way through without jobs…all we had to do was sell them so that we could have enough for the road…

"Welcome to our humble home," said Cassim, "I trust that my men can find you all a safe spot to live in, for the time being?" He turned his head towards his men. They were all quiet and after a while one man raised his hand.

"I will take them to a special room, sir!" said the man who looked a bit dwarfish, "Follow me, friends." We walked a couple of hallways down from the main room toward a quaint sided room with red and green curtains.

"Now may I ask how you got here?" asked the man.

"We flew in from our Gummi Ships. My wife and friends are on a vacation," lied Eleaus. I was happy he did that. It gave us all a sigh of relief, no one not even a band of thieves, should know about Ven. Besides that would be meddling…

"Oh! How long are you going to stay here, then? We will provide ample shelter and food for you most assumingly so!" the man grinned.

"127 days," said Richy, "We really do need a break from home. Things just got boring around the house for my wife and I. We're from the Destiny Islands, but Esmerelda and I wanted to see the desert and the Middle East."

"Brilliant choice, my friend! Agrabah is truly the best place for a vacation. The market place is sprawling with meats, breads, vegetables, fruits, and clothing!"

"That's great! Then we'll have to get jobs to buy these things," I lied. We had to play along with the men in order to get what we wanted.

"Oh, you won't need jobs, sweet heart. We'll take the objects ourselves for the four of you. We make our living through pillaging and stealing! So who needs jobs? Nobody in this vicinity!" laughed the man.

Suddenly, the four of us looked at each other….what were we potentially getting into? But it didn't matter, just as long as we found Ventus and Aqua. We settled down and then made our way into the great hall where Cassim and Aladdin proposed a meeting.

"Tonight we raid the market. But late at around quarter to 12. Nobody will be roaming the streets, we will have our shot at robbing the shops. Everything will be out, but covered up by blankets," said Cassim.

"That's right. It could possibly be the best idea of a raiding that we've had in ages! This time, we have helpers with us, Maggie, Eleaus, Richy, and Esmerelda!" said Aladdin, "Those Keyblades will be of good use for us."

We all looked shy and a bit out of place, but we all stuck up our noses and cheered, "YEAH! LET'S GET 'EM!" All the men followed along with us. We truly did feel the first time like HEROES….but for a deceitful purpose. We all had a fabulous feast before us consisting of chicken, pilaf, ground beef from a donkey, fruits, and vegetables. We stuffed our faces like there was no tomorrow and we truly felt part of the group. Never in my life did I teach Ventus to behave or act this way, especially in goring food. As a matter of fact, the four of us nearly got drunk…luckily we managed to remain conscious! There was shouting and joking and food throwing hard to believe. Eventually, after dinner, we got our weapons and prepared to storm the market through the night. We practically pillaged the whole main street of Agrabah, taking whatever we could to survive or even pick up clues to where Ventus was. We raged from 12 midnight to 4am and I consider Eleaus and I to be true night owls. Finally, we and the troops came back to the hideout to sleep in for the day.

"I've never even heard of such a life," said Richy.

"I don't think I could keep up with it," said Esmerelda.

"But we can't forget our mission, guys. It's our job to find Terra, Aqua, and Ven," said Eleaus.

I explained that maybe we needed to stray from the bandits a little bit. We had to explore the square and ask around for clues. I proposed maybe even sneak inside the Sultan's palace. The three of them looked at me blankly.

"Are you nuts? They'll never let us in. We're considered commoners, remember? And to top it all off we are part of an organization that wants to rob royalty, Mag!" snapped Richy.

"I don't care, Rich. Ventus is alive and I'm gonna find him no matter what it takes. I'd put Eleaus's and my life on the line for his," I told him.

Eleaus smiled and gripped my hand, "Let's do it."

So the plan proceeded as followed:

We made sure we had enough gold and silver to last us weeks in advance.

We stalled for about 2 months and made our move to the Castle, as we raided the market every night.

Finally on the last night of our visit to Agrabah…..BIG PLAN!

As the men and Aladdin rested for the night at 4:30am, the four of us huddled together. I ordered Richy and Esmerelda to flee to the desert to restart the Gummi Ship and fight any Heartless that got in the way. In the meantime, Eleaus and I would heist the Sultan's palace. It was dark and stormy night and the sands kept spraying in our faces. Nothing was stopping us from reaching those beige doors. Knock, Knock ….no answer. We gazed up at the infinity of the architecture. Finally, after a few minutes, gates slowly opened to a dark garden with a humongous water fountain. Who could possibly be up at 4:30am?

"Hello? Anyone here?" shouted Eleaus.

Flapping of wings in the air….

I turned around fast and cluched Eleaus.

"Dear it's probably just the wind," he said as we huddled underneath one of the great trees.

"WIND, SHMIND! ANY BONEHEAD CAN USE THEIR EARS TO KNOW THAT AN ANIMATE OBJECT…. _LIKE A BIRD_… IS _FLYING_ IN YOUR GENERAL DIRECTION!" shouted a demented screeching voice.

"Huh?" we both exclaimed. Eleaus and I turned around and saw sitting on a wide branch a red, stout looking parrot.

"That's, that's, that's…" I stammered.

"YES! IAGO, for Pete's sake!" pouted Iago rudely.

"Ah, it's you. We've heard of you before, obviously," said Eleaus.

"IS THIS HOW YOU BEGIN CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE? It seemed like you two love birds are in a fix. SO WHYGA BREAK INTO THE PALACE? HMMMMMM?" asked Iago.

"Shh…your master is sleeping. We came here to see where our son's heart is. This evil man named Xehanort had used our son for purposes beyond his control…" I said.

"Oh, that's TOUCHING! Listen, sister! I've heard a lot crazy stories but this one definitely tops it all. How can a man like him physically remove a heart? You need proper surgery for that, lady, see? Nowadays, people here are beginning to have breakthroughs in removing one's heart and giving it to some other bozo," said Iago.

"Iago, that's not what she meant. It's close, but not quite what we are after," corrected my husband.

"Grrrr….WHY CAN'T I BE RIGHT FOR ONCE IN A LIFE TIME, SHEESH!" grumbled Iago.

"What Maggie is pertaining to as in a heart is a spirit or state of being. Xehanort had removed that side of Ven and now his heart is lost into oblivion. We are asking the people of this palace if there any major leads as to the location of Ventus's heart."

"Hmmmm…good lead I must say," said Iago. "Let me take you to the one man that could potentially have connections to this Xehanort…"

"That's great! Thanks, Iago. Not exactly your character type to do these favors, but…" I said.

"OH DON'T RUB IT IN DEARY! I'M JUST A MEASLY SIDEKICK!" Iago shouted.

I really could not help but love and hate Iago at the same time. We eventually made our way into the Great Hall, a vast and marble-like place. The outlook of this architecture and class of residence would take lifetimes to achieve. Maybe Ventus might achieve this grandeur once Xehanort had vanished and Eleaus and I ceased to be.

"OKAY, YOU'S TWO! I HAVE ONE MASTER AND ONE SULTAN! But the sultan gets on my nerves A LOT! HE FRICKIN' BABIES ME WITH A CRACKER!" Iago berated.

Eleaus and I tried to hold in our laughter, but I chuckled.

"OKAY, WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA, SISTER?!"

"Nothing, Iago," I smiled, "Please proceed."

"Let's visit the old Sultan, first," said Iago.

We followed Iago down a narrow hall way away from the Sultan's throne. Pictures of past sultans (men and women had dominated the hall way). Curtains and rugs elaborately divided each of the paintings. When we reached the end, there stood a great door with what appeared to be a tiger guarding the entrance.

"Raja?" I asked.

"HOW DO **YOU** KNOW THE NAME?" asked Iago with a POed looking face.

Eleaus laughed a bit and then Iago shot him an angry look.

"I read about the Sultan's family someplace in the market. A guy was giving out pamphlets," I lied.

Iago flew up to Raja, "LOOK, FUZZY! I GOT PEEPS WAITN' TO SEE THE SULTAN! SOOOOO BEAT IT!"

Raja put up a tough face, but eventually sulked away whimpering.

"Raja? What's wrong?" a softer voice asked.

A young girl in nice pajamas came out of her room. She had long black hair and wide eyes and looked suspiciously at Eleaus and I.

"Do I, know you?" she asked.

"Uh….no," said Eleaus.

"Hmph…well, then why are you here? Why are you badgering my father?" she raised her voice.

"We're just commoners. I think something's gone gravely wrong and it concerns our son," I said.

Well my story couldn't get any more convincing than that right?

"I'm sorry for you. My name is Jasmine. I'm happy to have met commoners like you. I've always wanted to see the outside. Let me go tell, father!" said Jasmine and ran into the Sultan's chamber. We waited for about 10min before Jasmine returned. There stepped out a stout looking, old man with a rounded white beard. He had beige clothes with a white hat and green feather.

"Oh my goodness…I never have commoners come in this early!" said the Sultan jovially. "What brings you here to the palace?"

"Eleaus and I…Oh, I'm Maggie…are looking for our son's heart. I don't mean the physical heart, but the soul or state of being of a heart. Do you have knowledge of the Keyblade, Heartless, or a Master Xehanort for that matter?"

"Hmmm….I don't actually. However, there was a cloaked fellow that strolled by not too long ago asking for my adviser, Jafar. He seemed very interested in him and his magical powers. I couldn't see his face, but he sounded so sinister….he mentioned, as Jafar told me, that a 'KEYBLADE" would have to be revived some time…" the Sultan explained.

"IT'S MASTER XEHANORT! HE IS VERY OLD LOOKING!" said Eleaus.

"Oh it wasn't an old man. I managed to peak in on their talk and saw that the fellow had long white hair and looked to be no more than 35," said the Sultan.

Eleaus and I looked at each very puzzled. It didn't make sense….what happened to Master Xehanort. All we knew was that he had vanished.

"IT'S TERRA! TERRA WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING THAT SUPERSTITIOUS! BUT XEHANORT HAS CONTROL OVER HIS HEART!" I exclaimed.

"Someone you know?" asked Jasmine.

"Yes! Terra is a family friend of ours. He went astray to the point of total annihilation…" explained Eleaus. "We've gotta find Ventus…"

"Where is Jafar?" I asked. "Your Majesty, Jafar is not what he seems…"

"What are you talking about? Jafar is my most trusted advisor!"

"Daddy, you are right!" said Jasmine.

She glared at Eleaus and I.

"Well that's really all we know about this Ventus son of yours. Jafar is away on a business venture and probably won't be back for another month," said the Sultan.

Raja began to growl at us, but Iago shielded us a little to stop him from attacking.

"Raja, please!" soothed Jasmine.

"Okay, we'll get going. You've been a big help to us," said Eleaus.

"Yeah, we really do owe you one," I said.

"Please feel free to come back and visit us again!" said the Sultan.

"DON'T BE STRANGAS!" exclaimed Iago.

"Be careful!" said Jasmine.

Each of them went back to their rooms and shut the curtains. Raja had resumed his post as guardian and Iago had gone to sleep in his little bird house perched above Jasmine's room. Eleaus and I made our way around the hallways of the palace and found a lookout post with two chairs to lay out on. We sat for a good 10 min and said absolutely nothing to each other. The moon was exceptionally bright and too close for comfort to our eyes at this point of the night.

"Consider this place a failure…" said Eleaus. "Still no sign of him, it's back-breaking…"

"Yeah, let's head back," I said.

We got up and began to follow each other down a darker hall. It looked very medieval and the paintings depicted snakes, rodents, and hawkish looking birds. At the end of the hallway there was a curtain leading to the Great Hall. We were within feet away from the curtain until Eleaus and I saw a pair of great yellow eyes that took up the width of the door ridge….a hissing noise came slightly…then a cackle.

I shuttered….and stepped back and Eleaus and I summoned our Keyblades.

"Who is there?" asked Eleaus.

A hand came out of the curtain and the finger motioned us to come forth. Eleaus and I walked ever so carefully toward the curtain and charged into the Great Hall using Aero and Blizzard attacks. But there was nothing to attack, except the Sultan's thrown, the red carpet, large marble pillars, and the blue gate door at the front. The pillars produced overbearing and intimidating shadows over the floor. The moonlight gave the place an undead feeling…

"We should head out fast…Something doesn't feel right, Mag," said Eleaus.

_"Oh, it is definitely most irregular,"_ said a voice.

It came from the Sultan's throne. There was no one present. Then a snake-like staff appeared and then the body of tall dark thin man with a red and black tailored outfit. He smiled a sly smile, eyes taking up half his face. It was Jafar….

"Commoners? Ha! What a gimmick! I've seen you street rats before! Pillaging the market place with that Cassim and Aladdin! You are not from Agrabah, you're from ANOTHER WORLD? AREN'T YOU?" Jafar proclaimed.

Eleaus and I were in shock. We really couldn't help but marvel at his intuitiveness.

"The Master Xehanort that you speak of is no long in human form, but in possessive form! He seeks the X-blade and he attempted to use me and my magic for his selfish purposes! He desired my magic to attain Kingdom Hearts, but forbade him of it! This palace is MINE AND ONLY MINE!" cackled Jafar.

"We're listening…" said Eleaus.

"Anyway, he and I came to no agreement. I told him that there was no such place. The Keyblade War was a myth, a legend drawn to rob the worlds' young men and women of their lives. Agrabah does not need this conflict and I do not want division either," Jafar said and smiled wryly.

Eleaus and I knew what he was getting at. Eventually he would have his share of power someday, but we didn't reveal that to him.

"But I really do ponder…KINGDOM HEARTS…a rather curious tale to say the least, but it does not interest me as it did him," said Jafar.

We nodded in agreement.

"Now, be gone! Agrabah does not need street rats like you meddling in its affairs!" Jafar exclaimed and use his staff to teleport us out to the desert.

We opened our eye to find ourselves next to the Gummi Ship. Richy and Esmerelda were sleeping. Eleaus and I climbed into the Gummi Ship and restarted the engine to begin work again. Our jewels and money were tucked away in the trunk in case we needed them. I had to develop a new plan to reach Ventus. All of us would have to split up. I told Eleaus that the four of us would each visit one world at a time, no matter what it took we had to find our children and Terra. It was too dangerous to stick together. We knew it would be a long time until we saw each other again, but it didn't matter. As I drew up a list of worlds I calculated the amount of time we would spend in each place. There was no turning back indefinitely.

**Chapt. 36**

_This plan was full proof!_ I thought. _Eleaus and I are going to find our son and Richy and Esmerelda are going to find Aqua. We would deal with Terra later. Each of us are going to visit 5 worlds, live in them, explore, and find out the answers to the riddle of our children's disappearances. We would live in these worlds for approximately a year and a half. Hopefully, we would make some new friends along the way…I was going to visit Halloween Town, the Land of Dragons, the Dwarf Woodlands, Wonderland, and Space Paranoids. Eleaus's domain would be the Pride Lands, Deep Jungle, Italy/Pleasure Island/Monstro, Neverland, and Atlantica. Richy would dwell in Notre Dame, Deep Space, Disney Castle/Disney's Toon Town Fair, the Enchanted Dominion, and the 100 Acre Wood. Finally, Esmerelda would divide her time between the Olympus Coliseum, Versailles in France, the Castle of Dreams, Port Royal, and Traverse Town._

We all agreed with heavy hearts as we each split our Gummi Ships into four parts. My heart was in my throat as I watch my friends and most of all…my husband disappear into the universe. We met up with each other few times, but really couldn't stay or talk for long due to our mission. I traveled and met many faces and peoples and characters. From personalities I had heard about very much from Master Yensid and Eraqus. I had grown weary and lonely amid my journey, but all four of us knew it was for the best to find our children. I was just about at my wits end and nearly felt like giving up. I wasn't young anymore and couldn't run around and do all the things I did with Ventus growing up. I prayed and prayed every day for a miracle, anything that could possible speak.

**Chapt. 37**

About eight years into my journey of living on each world, I suddenly came across a highly ambiguous, shadowy looking sphere. It looked like Master Yensid's castle, so I decided to stop by and say hello. I reasoned maybe he could give me guidance, though he always told us to figure things out on our own and draw our own conclusions about matter and strength. I stepped out of my Gummi Ship and ran towards the entrance and banged as hard as I could. No avail. As I turned around, the wooden door creaked open slightly. I peaked in and out of nowhere a familiar, cheerful face appeared and chucked in his usual mousy flare.

"Hallow Maggie!"

"Hello, Sorcerer Mickey," I said bowing my head a bit.

Master Yensid always told us to treat each other with respect.

"I haven't seen Ven at all either, I've been trying to help you all as best I can."

"That's wonderful, I've been sent strangely to this world. It didn't come up on my other list of worlds Eleaus and I went through."

"Interesting. There is something special about it."

"But what could a simple place like this have what's so special. It seems like a double to the original world."

Mickey looked around and tilted his head up to the top of the bell tower.

"I think I might know the perfect place for you."

"Really?"

"Call it an escape venture. I'll give you a hint. Music is always the best way to tame the beast."

"Take me there."

Mickey led me up the stairs toward Master Yensid's office. He was strangely absent, for Mickey told me he too joined in to find Ven with us and was corresponding with other fellow mages. He said that Yensid made a copy of the original world and his documents in case Xehanort had got to him and disrupted the balance.

Mickey took out an old, dusty book with clouds, a proud looking mountain and musical notes on top of it. He motioned for me to pull out my Keyblade and unlock the book. This was deemed one of the restrictive section books and had to be handled with great care. Knowledge about special spells and charms were kept away from students inside these books until they mastered certain Keyblade techniques.

"What it is?"

"You'll find out. You always used to go inside it when you were a student."

"Inside, a book? That's crazy."

"_Just go inside and you'll remember_!"

I stood up front and closed my eyes, consciously feeling the light from the open book suck me in. Clouds and smoke covered my view of almost everything in sight. I opened my eyes to find that I was on top of a mountain with little vineyard bushes growing along the sides. Music was beginning to play from far off in the distance. The sun was shining brighter as the music became louder. Tiny water droplet paths had directed me in coming down from my starting ground. It was my favorite world of all time and my last hope, _The Symphony of Sorcery_.

The place took me back to my own practicing days with the Master. He would always tell us to visit a nearby world that gave us comfort and relaxation. Eleaus went to _Atlantica_, Molly adored _Wonderland_, Terra Sr. visited _The_ _Olympus Coliseum_, Esmerelda went to the _Radiant Garden_, and Richy immersed himself in _Notre Dame_, but my heart always remained in _The Symphony of Sorcery_. What's funny was I never needed to talk, literally talk or say anything while in the world. Why talk to yourself or anybody when you can enjoy your surroundings and of course the classical music. It ranged from Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, to Debussy, any classic composer that came about. The musical numbers just always seemed to fit with clouds moving or plants growing. The wave of my head or stroke of my hand led the musical pieces along as I took walks. Sometimes when I laid down, comforting piano music would suddenly erupt, like the world could sense my emotions at the very moment. Or cello strings would complement my hard breathes. It was a very unique world, _The Symphony of Sorcery_. No enemies were present for some strange reason. I thought for sure that Master Xehanort had taken over this world. Of all innocent places to leave in the midst, why this one? Maybe to save torturing us? I doubted it, but for the time being I soaked up my time in this menagerie. _The Symphony of Sorcery_ was actually the one and only world that Master Yensid had created. All the other worlds were created by their own peoples. With the Mickey's encouragement and persistence, Master Yensid decided to create a world different from any other world. One that combined beauty, nature, wonder, and most of also artistic genius...a masterpiece he liked to call it. Each time you went into the world, you would begin your journey at a different place and time, the music would accompany the mood and pace of the location. If you were in a city, the music would be upbeat and energetic or if you were in a forest the tone would be enigmatic or mesmerizing. The world could also take you to different time periods such as when the dinosaurs first roamed the lands with comets and meteorites shooting before your very eyes.

Beethoven's Pastoral was playing in the background as I waltzed down rainbow colored paths from the mountain. Realizing the surface was slippery, I arched my back into a surf's position, zooming from cloud to cloud. How I soaked in the fresh air and leafy, pine smelling vines around the mountain tops. Traces of ice from a prior winter still remained on top. I soon descended to find the sky opening up for me, as it slowly changed from afternoon to near dusk in a matter of a shift in musical tone and timing within the song. The flutes and abrupt ending of the first part of the piece suited the purplish, gray clouds showering the golden sunset. I looked back at the mountains still towering over me almost as though waiting for me to proceed to the next part of musical number. I turned my gaze to see a densely packed forest filled with overarching canopies and old pine trees. Fireflies began to emerge communicating with each other, _mating season_ I always thought.

"_Barely any light in the forest." _

But the fireflies guided my way enough. Sometimes I found myself traveling through tunnels of leaves and vines of various shades of blue, gray, and purple. The crunching of leaves and the pine cone smells emanating off the walls was extremely refreshing for after spending many hours inside the Gummi Ship. I remembered those times when there was nothing else to do after training, Master Eraqus had let me "be a kid" than a student and go off to make piles of autumn leaves with my friends and I. He always believed in a balance of inquisitiveness, wisdom, focus, and child-like nature to guide us in our training to become Keyblade Masters. Clearing our minds of any troubles, our hearts always filled with light, enjoying each other's company. Each passing memory I realized gave way to a new portion of the Pastoral symphony almost like the piece was reading my mind.

As I exited the tunnel, the piece had crescendoed invoking a feeling almost as if I was riding a wave, slowing descending into lighter notes as dusk started to kick in. I called out to anything that might answer me, but only a few straggling love birds flew through the air and back to their nests. Piano music from an artist I had never heard from before began to play, soft beats and deeper notes possibly to accompany my tired state. I looked back at the forest, so grand, thick, intertwined with lush bushes. I felt a beetle wiz by my ear and swirled around my head zooming off into the night sky. I thought I could see the mountains from the other end, but magically the trees and bushes began to block my view. I faced forward and happened upon some Grecian statues and gazebos. I admired the dome shaped roofs, pillars, and viney looking trees alongside them. I used to love catching the blossom petals that came down during the spring and summer. Master Yensid took into my account my favorite literary works including Grecian tragedies and tales and Shakespeare. When I was little, I loved to play with the ponies, cerubs, and centaur children. They probably were all asleep by now, I don't think they would have recognized me or not. Occasionally, I'd have a chance to see even the gods and goddesses appear during the day, each with their own unique powers. I told Master Yensid that I wanted powers like them too, that I was too weak to go up against. But he coaxed me saying that I was special and that I too was gifted. He told me when I used my Keyblade I had almost the same impact as them though they were far more powerful than me. As I walked around a gazebo, I touched a branch and gently shaked it to see if anything would fall out for me. Silly enough, an apple fell into my hand. I heard giggling back behind bushes and thought I saw three shadows ascending up into the sky, hiding in those milky, vanilla clouds amid the dark purple sky. I smirked slightly thinking it was probably past the cherubs' bedtime. I took steady bites and walked around more looking at statues of Zeus and Poseidon. The animation and the scale on which they were built, though they could not move or talk always intimidated me. Master Eraqus told us never to fear but respect our elders in much the same way as the characters we interacted with on other worlds. In _The Symphony of Sorcery_, body language was primarily used to communicate, so we had to be careful not to send the wrong message. I waved good bye to the area and suddenly accidentally slid on a slope downwards toward a valley. I thought that it must have been a bit of a quake alongside one of the ravines. My body ached all over and I tried miserably to pull myself up. I looked up and saw the hill or should I say, the slope, I fell from. I could see the dirt line which led to my resting place where I stood.

I walked forward and saw a silvery, bluish lake, a lone swan was swimming in the middle of it. A willow tree was blowing slightly in the wind as I began to hear Mozart staccatoes of a violin then transitioning more to piano as I laid at the trunk. I watched a swan go back and forth, possibly searching for her mate. I soon began to think of Eleaus and his ventures. I had missed him so, his gentle kisses and caresses on me, his hugs. The very thought of him sent funny shivers down my spine. I substituted playing with the grass as his hair and then drifted off to sleep. I didn't have any dreams that night. I'd imagine Master Yensid cast a special charm on the world for that, from which I gained much appreciation. The moon had begun to uncover itself amid some grayish clouds and for once I could have sworn I saw an archer swing his arrow across the sky. Alongside him was a fawn standing proudly. Stars and comets erupted from its edges to fill up the aerial vacuum. In my sleep, all I could see was black and two fireflies chasing after each other at first. Then someone appeared out of the darkness. He gestured closer and closer to me, reaching out a hand. His body was emanating a halo aura about him. I felt his warm skin instantly next to mine, with his arms around my shoulders, the trunk of the willow tree supporting us like an oversized chair. I opened my eyes and there was my husband staring at me with a grand smile, tears in his eyes.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi!" I forced myself to say, trying ever so hard to wake up.

We didn't have to say anymore and he touched his cheek to mine. I felt many years younger whenever he and I did that. Takes me back in time to those days when we were newlyweds.

"We have to talk, Maggie," Eleaus whispered in my ear.

I knew exactly what he was thinking, both of our smiles growing wider and wider. I stared at him more taking in my husband and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing each other none stop. No music played that moment as we made love that night. I preferred it that way. All I could do was feel and experience, to surrender to my emotions. This sensation more powerful and intensely passionate than any spell or Keyblade trick in the book. With him...THIS MAN. MY MAN. MY HUSBAND. MY BEST FRIEND. The omnipotent euphoria surrounding us was all the strength I needed in the entire universe, nothing else could match it. His lips left burning streaks down my chest and I enjoyed running my hand over his goatee and grasping his still muscular shoulders. Even in older age we still felt young at heart. Mist was formulating over and around us as we were lost in love. As we both settled down and hugged each other, we both promised never to split for this long ever again. I sunk my head into Eleaus's broad chest and nuzzled my nosed against his shoulder nonchalantly.

"I've been to places, Mag, you can't even imagine," he said softly, his breath in pinning sighs and laid his head back near a silt pile behind him.

"They do not pair in comparison to the places we have taken tonight, dear," I giggled like a schoolgirl.

"Honey!"

"No one is around, silly. Now come closer!"

We both took another long drawn out kiss until each of us was tingling. Both of us out of breathe. I could feel a cold sweat eloping inside my brain, my mind slowly winding back from unbridled, repressed feelings.

"I was in the Nutcracker Suite forest/snow cap area."

"That's beautiful. What did you see? I've never been to that portion of the world."

"Maggie, you would love it. I'm sorry you weren't with me. It was mostly autumn in the forest and I was pint sized so I could explore all these huge trees and bushes. No enemies were present. I decided to laze around and look at random petals and animals that inhabited the area. I thought I saw two pixies at the beginning as I was in an almost Enchanted-Dominion like portion of the woods. As for the snow caps, I was actually on the mountains and everything was covered in crystal patches and the road was pure ice so I had to surf-slide in order to get from one place to another. The music from the Nutcracker accompanied my jumps and movements of my body, even to the extent of new trees growing and fish swimming in ponds. Strange, strange world, like it could predict my thoughts. Once I thought of you, the Arab sounding number from the suite came on."

I smiled and traced my fingers more down his bare chest and then wrestled on top of him.

"I guess it was predicting our getting together," I said with my arms pinning him down and we kissed again more so.

"It's a beautiful world, Maggie, isn't it?" Eleaus asked putting his hand on my cheek, "Almost like a dream...I can see why Master Yensid created this. It's all for you."

Jazz piano music began to play softly in the background. A contented smile rested on my husband's face as he began to notice the sounds. As I laid on top of him from the side, I presumed, "I could stay in it forever, if I wanted to."

"What do you mean, dear?" he asked.

"Why didn't we, Eleaus? Why couldn't we raise our son in this picture perfect paradise? Music, laughter, happiness, no darkness, not a care in the world. Master Xehanort would have never touched our family. I wish the whole universe were more like this. Where the birds chirp, the swans float gracefully, the rabbits play, and the day changes to night gradually not abruptly. We can pretend there is no world or danger outside and sleep in late."

I sounded so idealistic, yet such a fool at the same time.

"Maggie, nothing is perfect. You should know that by now, Master Eraqus didn't have to preach us that. As a Keyblade master, as a wife, as a mother. None of us can completely be this perfection. _The Symphony of Sorcery_ is merely for reflection to get out of our crazy lives and then come back to make the universe better, to promote more light and less darkness it. Besides if people started living in this world, Master Yensid may think it would lose its luster and beauty. Maybe the universe can be like this world...someday. But we have to keep fighting for it. It's the only chance of saving Ven and bringing balance back to the worlds."

I sighed deeply and played with some grass touching the sides of my legs. I knew I was foolish forever insinuating a comment like that, but what was I to do? Ven was gone, Terra had turned for the worst, and Aqua had vanished as well. Our family and friends disconnected, only my husband by my side in this complex network. We had to go on. I turned my head once again to my beau and stroked his wavy thick hair.

"Where do you suggest we start next?"

"Where we should have gone a long time ago."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapt. 38 **

Eleaus and I had rested for another day in _The_ _Symphony of Sorcery_ before we bucked up the courage to go back into the real world or should I say, universe. We enjoyed two other areas including the Arctic region with more slopes of ice and also went sailing on a yacht across a Tuscany-like area as Italian cultural music played in the background. We decided that enough was enough and rose our Keyblades up to the sky and called upon Mickey to bring us back to the tower. Light rays had spread all around us and we were welcomed back generously by both Mickey and Master Yensid.

"So have you both had some time to muddle things over with each other over Ventus," asked the master.

Eleaus and I looked at each other fondly, "Yes, we have Master Yensid, sir. We've promised never to split up for that long ever again. We have some leads to the Radiant Garden. It's the next powerful world from the Land of Departure," Eleaus answered.

"That is a wise option, Master Eleaus. I assume that you Masteress Maggie will do your part in your husband's choice?"

"Yes, Master, you know that well."

"You both never cease to impress me with your inquisitiveness. I do worry about your other friends' safety."

"We'll have to look after ourselves for now, sir. Right now, Ven needs our help," I said nearly tearing up.

"Don't worry, you two. You just have to believe in yourselves and Ven. His heart is bound to show up and someone will know of his whereabouts," Mickey remarked.

"Well, you both best be on your way, I'll have the Three Good Fairies escort you out," the master said and called up Flora, Fona, and Merryweather to transport us back to the Gummi Ship.

Eleaus said he would greatly give my Gummi Ship to Mickey. For now on, Eleaus and I were a one couple ship. We traveled to the Radiant Garden, luckily enough of it still retained much light amid Master Xehanort underlying influence over the land with Heartless. We landed on a decrepit cinderblock and took a chance to view town. People were still walking around, children playing in the streets. Marketplaces and shops open, etc. Who exactly did we know in Radiant Garden?

"Wait, remember, those two boys that used to play with Ventus, Maggie?" my husband asked.

"Yes! Isa and Lea! They must be a bit older now since we last saw them. It's been eight years though. What if they aren't living here anymore."

"We need to find leads, Mag."

"Alright, let's go."

"There was one wizard that Master Yensid spoke of that could give us a clue. His name is Merlin, he's not too far from where we landed. He knows almost everyone in the Radiant Garden by heart. He is quite familiar with the youth as well, always coming over to his place."

"Then let's bust in on the old man."

So we made our rounds to town and then viewed a map to see where Merlin lived.

"Here we go! Just to the left, Maggie."

We knocked on the door, but there was no answer. But suddenly out of thin air, a small man with a blue pointed hat, small shoes, long beard, and curmudgeon eyes appeared.

"Oh, I thought that was you! Right on time!" he grumbled and led us inside the house.

The most eccentric place I've ever seen with books haphazardly stacked up and dozens of maps and equations about the walls. Pots and pans boiling with various smells of fruits and vegtables. Vines along with overgrowth began to seem through the walls of the house. I thought I saw an owl zoom by over our heads toward a wooded resting place.

"Hoo-Hoo-What-What-What? Who are these, ah-sentient beings, Merlin!?" the owl could talk...I got seriously creeped out.

"Oh, come now, Archimedes, these are friends of ours. They are looking for their son, Ven."

"Ven? Ven? Hahaha, I've seen no Ven!" the owl remarked stubbornly.

"Oh, no don't go, sir," Eleaus said stepping toward the wooded bird house.

"That's alright, he's much too sensitive," Merlin said.

"Sensitive, ha-WHO? WHAT WHAT?" the owl poked its head out and Merlin chuckled again.

"So, Master Yensid tells me, you both are looking for a long lost Keyblade master boy in training, Ventus. But you are short on leads?"

"Yes, how did you know we were gonna...?" I asked and then Merlin cut me off, "Oh, that you'd be dropping in and saying this to me? I happen to be well...A WIZARD! You both must be exhausted. Master Xehanort has made things very much out of balance for the whole universe. If I do say so myself, a big modern MESS!"

"Y-Yes, that too, sir. But would you happen to know something about two boys named Lea and Isa?" asked Eleaus.

"Isa...Lea...AH! Yes, good cheerful lads they were! Always stopped by my place, especially Lea. Isa was such a sad story, broken home and foster child, really no place else to live except with Lea. I'd say they were more like brothers than friends. Robin and Lisa were excellent parents and looked after the boys well. Sometimes they'd ask me for parenting techniques. Haha, don't ask me why, never been married or have children, not a wizard's nature, my beauties."

"Lea and Isa's whereabouts?" I asked.

"Oh...I really shouldn't disclose this information. It broke Robin and Lisa's hearts. If you really want to hear the story: First, there was this other man Xehanort who was working with this other powerful mage, Ansem the Wise, who always presided with me over the Radiant Garden. Knowledgable man he was. He was curious about the darkness of the heart. Not for selfish reasons but for science and exploration on how to defeat it. He rounded up six apprentices to aid in his research. Xehanort, Briag, Dilan, Eleaus, Even, and six year old Ienzo. Lea and Isa were interested in what Ansem the Wise was doing and interned under him to find out what these experiments were about. They thought they would do the Radiant Garden a favor especially in protection for its only princess, Kiari and her grandmother. Her parents had perished by Master Xehanort's Heartless. Ienzo, though the youngest in the group, pressured Ansem to pursue more of the research especially in aspects on the mind. For the heart and mind are the same entity. But Xehanort was a completely different character from the rest, very ambitious, unpredictable, unstable in his mood. Briag had always stuck by him, almost in second in command to do experiments outside the scope of Ansem's requirements. Sometimes potentially harming the volunteers with methods too ghastly to imagine.

This was a year long project and soon the people began seeing sights of these beings, monsters, coined Heartless by Ansem. They were supposed to be contained in the laboratory, so he thought. Xehanort had been the one to set them loose on the people and it caused quite a stir in the town. But the other apprentices were beginning to slowly switch their loyalties from Ansem to Xehanort due to their increasing curiosity with the darkness and tempering with hearts. One day an experiment went horribly wrong as Lea and Isa barged in on Xehanort and the other apprentices using dark magic on a young woman's heart to awaken the darkness within her. Lea and Isa had no idea it was the apprentices that were causing these happenings and tried to escape out the door of the laboratory. But Dilan and Evan had reined them in with a special power and pushed them through this black portal. Once they came out, physically, they were completely different. Xehanort said that they were no longer Lea and Isa, but Axel and Saix. He would be named Xemnas due to the empty, unknown, yet all powerful nature of their bodies. A new being, a spirit that lived on from their bodies which dissolved, Nobodies as Ansem the Wise eventually coined them. Xemnas remarked that his Heartless, Ansem the Seeker of Darkness was on his quest to look for the Keyblade Master wherever he was. Saix was completely drawn in to Xemnas, but Axel was doubtful at first but followed his friend into what would become this Organization XIII. Due to this disruption in experimentation, the kingdom felt that the princess, Kiari, would be unsafe here and she and her grandmother decided to move to the Destiny Islands. Spectacular little girl she was, used to cast baby spells for her all the time. Pure heart of light, no faults in her unlike some as a Princess of Heart. But for Isa and Lea, or should I say, Saix and Axel, I have had no correspondence neither their parents. I believe Robin and Lisa had moved also to the Destiny Islands for protection, please do check for me. The Organization has sought to spread its influence to various worlds with their headquarters being the World that Never Was. Maybe there you can find the boys but I doubt they will be willing to take your side."

"This was a lot Merlin, thank you for the explanation."

"You are quite welcome. Now I should tell the two of you the other worlds you ought to visit. Such as the Enchanted Dominion, Beast's Castle, and Castle of Dreams should you both get tired and need a break."

"No actually we have stopped at those places. Everywhere we could think of except here and the World that Never Was."

"That place is infiltrated with Heartless and Nobodies. All will attempt to do you harm."

"We understand, Merlin, maybe we should just let Saix and Axel go. Darkness had succumbed their hearts, we can't change them lest they change for themselves," my husband remarked bravely.

"Twilight Town is another fascinating place, perhaps you should check there. Have you?" asked Merlin.

"No we haven't didn't exactly appear on our radar," I said.

"Then why don't you both do your research. I've given you plenty of guidance as Master Yensid would say."

"Alright, it was wonderful to see you, Merlin. We'll come back soon!" my husband shouted as we both walked out the door toward the Gummi Ship.

"Goodbye, Eleaus and Maggie, don't be strangers! Think wisely!" the old man shouted back waving his wand.

**Chapt. 38 **

I couldn't believe it was ten years since our journey to find Ventus began, (i.e. after we saw Merlin we decided to break for two years and come up with new plans while working steadily). Eleaus and I weren't getting any younger either. We tried to block out dark vengeful thoughts against Master Xehanort. The both of us still impatient and met with so many dead ends. We had made our retirement to the Destiny Islands and set up a small bungalow to store our things. We had found out from neighbors that Robin and Lisa were actually in a sanatorium, for reasons unknown. Eleaus and I surmised that that the trauma of losing Lea and Isa was cause of it. The doctors said that both parents appeared mysteriously in this dark portal. Both were completely catatonic. A man with spikey red hair advised the sanatorium to get his parents to safety as soon as possible. The parents couldn't speak for themselves and only shrieked and cried when they saw the young man pass back into the portal. The attendants got a grasp on them both and committed them. Eleaus and I decided to spare Robin and Lisa the trouble and visit them later. We had to think of a game plan on approaching Twilight Town.

"We need more leads, I'm sure it will get us somewhere to Ven. I've heard from people in town that one particular place, a mansion in the woods, gets a lot of very strange visitors. Even though no one's lived in there for years," Eleaus planned.

"How can we prove that Ven' heart is there? How many years has it been abandoned," I asked.

"About fifty years. Disheveled and shambled place. Maggie, they've said they've seen men in black cloaks, probably meaning Organization XIII, mysterious snake like creatures roam the streets toward that mansion, and luckily no one's been out when they've been out. We can't take any chances to miss this opportunity, dear. No matter how dangerous or how much it might hurt, we have to find Ven."

"Let's get some dinner and rest. We should pack lightly. We have no idea how long we will be gone."

"Fine."

That night Eleaus and I got dinner at an Italian restaurant based strangely off of _Lady and the Tramp_, with Dean Martin music playing in the background as we munched on manicotti. The candlelight was low, perfect for me to view Eleaus's goatee and his reddened cheeks with accentuated shadows cast on our faces. We never took our eyes off each other. Eleaus and I had been separate for too long and I didn't want to lose him ever again, not to the darkness, not to anyone. We needed each other and we both knew that always. Perhaps we'd see our friends and of course Ventus someday soon.

As we laid in bed that night, I looked off outside the window door to the ocean breeze, clinging to Eleaus and his broad hairy chest, stroking his skin as he played lightly with my short dark blonde curly hair. Forlornness shown on my face, but Eleaus looked down on me and smiled saying that everything was going to be alright. He even told me I looked like I was 25 again looking somewhat lonely. It was those moments that those omnipresent dark thoughts about the future and Master Xehanort vanished and I got happily teary eyed. I buried my face in his chest again, kissing his neck and then drifted off to sleep.

By mid-morning, Eleaus and I were still in bed exhausted from dinner the night before. I woke up to find his head resting against my right breast.

"Feeling better, dear?" he asked me almost purring.

"Mhm..." I said lightly and lifted myself up and crawled up slightly to get a better view of his face, "Look I'm sorry for what I said last night about being worried and scared for my life-"

Eleaus put a soft first finger to my mouth, "Shhhh...Let's not talk about that now, baby," he said reassuringly, tracing a finger down the bridge of my nose to my lips and put a hand to my chest. I sank down sneakily with him under the covers for another hour of uninhibited intimacy.

As I cooked up pancakes, Eleaus and I never breaking eye contact as I did, a sudden knock on the door came. Eleaus had answered it and he was stunned to see...

"Sora."

"Eleaus."

"Wh-What do you want?" my husband asked sort of yawning.

"What do I WANT? I DON'T EVEN GET A FRICKIN' PHONE CALL FROM YOU IN EVER."

"We've been busy. It's not like you've done the same this to us too a while ago."

Sora Sr. shot him a cold look and Eleaus by the look in his face deeply regretted it, "Look, buddy, it's early in the morning. Did you eat?"

"No."

"Maggie cocked up some pancakes."

"Oh yeah, that will do, thanks."

Sora looked totally disgruntled and disheveled. He ate the pancakes quickly almost inhaling them than chewing them. His eyes darting everywhere as though he was lost.

"So, yeah, what's the problem?"

Sora got up and walked toward the window door outside to sit down at our porch. His head was between his knees and slowly began to weep.

"Oh GOD, I'M A WRECK, ELEAUS!"

"What is it, brother? Something to do with Mom? Or Haven?"

"NO! Haven't I told you? Sora, MY SON, has disappeared?"

"Of course not."

Sora Sr. sighed deeply, "Haven argues that Sora merely ran off to visit another world temporarily before coming back home for school. He always wanted to see new worlds. But it's been a year, not even a phone call or correspondence! Kids these days, I'm sure you never raised Ven to be that way. What am I going to do?"

"I don't know what to say, brother."

I was speechless amid my washing of dishes. I let Sora Sr. vent his anger as Eleaus tried to reason with him. This was the closest I've ever seen the two of them be. As the years went on Eleaus started to have different feelings about half-sibling relationships. Though he never admitted it to him, Eleaus believed Sora Sr. to be his best friend.

"Brother, why don't you and Haven come with Maggie and I? Our journey to find Ventus might be interconnected somehow with Sora, being as they are half-cousins. Master Xehanort may try to take advantage of him too for all we know."

Sora Sr.'s eyes widened immensely and stood up.

"HE WON'T TOUCH HIM. NEVER. EVER," he barked at Eleaus and I, "I WON'T LET HIM. NOT MY FLESH AND BLOOD. I'LL KILL HIM. KILL HIM."

"Calm down, Sora, anger and fear leads to darkness, obsession, and uncertainty. You have to believe and have faith in the light and your own Keyblade wielding powers," I said maternally.

"I don't believe that bull crap anymore. Screw Eraqus and Yensid. What light, what darkness, what anything, all I want is my son back."

"You will, brother. We have to work together. The light is our only way to salvation against Master Xehanort," Eleaus said putting an arm around Sora's shoulders.

"And Sora's not the only one who's been missing. Riku has vanished as well. I was always like a second father figure to the boy since his parents were constantly traveling. I have no idea where they are now. If I lose Riku, I should might as well stab myself."

"Don't talk like that, brother. That should never be anyone's last resort, not even if you asked me to do it. You haven't failed as a father. It's just that, these things just happen. When did Sora and Riku vanish?"

"Well it was a dark night a year ago. Same day as this one. Haven called Sora down for dinner, no response. I surmised that he was going out to see something on the island and come back. Haven and I and several others could see these creatures come up out of the ground and attack homes. We all fled out of the world, but others weren't so lucky. Haven said she searched everywhere before we left. It was a lost cause. Especially this older woman who we've become good friends with. Her name is Stella, she's the grandmother of this girl named Kairi and she had no idea where she was either. Kairi used to always hang out with Sora and Riku. Those three were tight as Velcro. We had to make for safety no matter what. Haven and I in tears for I don't know how long. It was over, I lost my son, my sole creation in my measly life."

"Then it's our job to bring the kids back home," I said triumphantly, "We leave at noon for Twilight Town. Make sure Haven and Stella are ready."

**Chapt. 39**

For three whole days we traveled to Twilight Town via Gummi Ship. We stocked up on cereals, take-home dinners, water and smoothies. To pass time, we'd usually go off into separate rooms either napping or chatting lightly. Stella told me tales of when Radiant Garden was an innocent place, basted in light. People in the past before Ansem's experiments began to fight over the light and darkness was born in their hearts. It spread everywhere through the world, swallowing all in its path. But through the hearts of children the world slowly began to rebuild itself. It took effort and commitment to do it, to rid the darkness from the land. Coining its other name Hollow Bastion before returning to the Radiant Garden. Kiari grew up after those incidents, unaware of the troubles around her. Many officials tried to protect her. I told her the same thing about Ven, no matter how hard we tried, Master Xehanort got the best of us. Stella said that we have to pray and stick with each other to oust this evil. She had a habit of calling everyone on the ship "child" though we were clearly grown up.

"Eleaus, I see something on the radar, think we got it?" asked Sora.

"Yep! This is it, brother," my husband congratulated him.

Haven and I clung to each other on the seats as Stella remained calm as we descended through the many layers of atmosphere to the town. Haven, whom I became fast friends with on the ride, told me that the place was perpetually in a dawn-sky state. People are very relaxed and at ease in this world compared to most others except for the Destiny Islands and Traverse Town. I was ready no matter what difficulties or hurtles we faced, we had to find him. Eleaus and Sora eventually landed the ship in a parking lot not too far away from the main town. Stella said it was best if she stayed back at the ship to mend things and fix us supper when we get back. Her body was not was as it used to be at 80 years old. We all agreed and set off on our merry way to a train station which would take us downtown.

We took our time browsing shopping centers and got something to eat for lunch. The people seemed kind and pointed us in the direction of the mansion. Kids sometimes played there but they said it was deemed "haunted." Bingo! As we came to the entrance to the mansion three blocks from the station, Sora said, "Now, we have no idea what's behind those walls, but whatever it is, we're prepared."

"Yes, what are we waiting for?" asked Eleaus.

"Haven, I'm sure you've brought your own Keyblade, don't tell me you haven't brushed up on your skills?"

"Honey, calm down. I'm fine, as long as I have Maggie by my side," Haven said.

Haven and I swiped out our Keyblades in self-defense as Eleaus and Sora reached for theirs. We motioned each other to enter the tunnel leading to the forest that slowly transitioned to the mansion. The mansion, legend said, was previously owned by this wealthy family in Twilight Town. They always had guests coming over for parties and gatherings. Every single room was used for residence and all around fun. Masquerade balls were the town favorite to hold at the mansion. On Halloweens, the mansion would be totally decked in spooky, scary paraphernalia. The biggest attraction in Twilight Town. Many myths and legends have surrounded this mansion, but one particular legend has stuck out greatly in the public's memory as to how exactly the wealthy family disappeared from town.

_One night one of the family's children decided on an extra venture into a region of the mansion that had never been explored before. Upon entering the library, the child had toyed with some crayons mysteriously present on a table. Simple doodles might I add. The floor suddenly erupted with light causing the child to run to the door, a secret passageway hidden beneath the castle. It looked like a laboratory stairwell leading to a darkened corridor at the bottom of the steps. The child was curious and kept pursuing the downstairs portion, admiring the gadgets and buttons all around the flat. She descended into the deeper recesses of the basement and found empty space, a mudded enclave with only a computer system. _

_The child called out to anything that might answer her. When all felt safe, she brought down all her toys from her room and set up shop for a real adventure in this mysterious hideaway. The occasional wind sounds or restlessness of mice would entice the child to jump out of both fright and excitement. She even brought down a lamp to add effects to her performance with her dolls pretending to fly off buildings. Shadows added to this fun little escapade with the child pretending to disappear. As she laid down in the basement, she felt now it was time to go back upstairs for bed. It was 1am and her parents and brother might worry. But no matter, she would show them a wonderful secret place. Before she left, the child eyed the computer intently. For never once she touched that evening. As a girl of only six years old, her curiosity got the best of her again and began to skim through files never knowing what kinds of buttons to push. Until one file came up with story concerning myriads of untold wisdom and truths about the worlds outside Twilight Town. All of this though beyond the child's comprehension began to scare her. Immediately the child backed away from the screen, but the computer suddenly shut off and so did the lamp. The door to the upstairs portion of the basement still remained open but she couldn't find the hallway, as darkness flooded every region of the room. Hissing sounds and crackling began to creep up behind the walls, then suddenly silence. The child stood still, feverishly clutching her nightgown. At the corner of her eye, the lamp began to flicker erratically, the light trails blinding the child. The lamp then maintained composure, but the shadows emanating from it began to shift and take form of their own. Creatures that began to scatter about the dirt floor toward the child. The sound of a middle aged looking man dressed in black, commanded the creatures to attack. The screams were too far away for the parents and brother hear, but the shadows would eventually come for them too, interrupting peaceful dreams. By 8am, the deed had been done. Outside the sun shone brightly and the birds chirped from beyond the mansion into the grand forest. A statue of a legendary horse stood proud as if to defend the mansion against raiders. Inside, chaos and ruin wrecked the hallways and crevices of the strong sturdy mansion. The brownish, mahogany walls suddenly began to chip and rot. Sculptures and prized possessions in gold and silver delivered from worlds across the universe littered the floor. And there was so much blood. Massive dents were left in two family rooms, stain glassed windows littered and damaged beyond repair. The bedroom of the two children had a multitude of feathers and scratches from the shadows the night before. Defenseless as he was without the help of his sister, the brother used a wooden sword from playtime, all strength that was to muster from this easy catch before the shadows proceeded to the parents' room. Their dreams were full of happiness and romance, reminiscing old times before blinding lights brought them back to a cruel awakening with yellow eyes and the man in black standing at the door of their room smiling stealthily.. The shadows and the man disappeared into the dawn, their secrets violently revealed by this foolish family, intruding on his property all this time. _

_The sole place that had not been touched by these unfortunate events was the nursery. The white walls covered in paintings and sketching from hours of playtime between the children. Parties and celebrations took place in that compacted space amid games of capture the flag and duck-duck-goose. The toys all situated in their proper places waiting to be played with the very morning, already started to collect dust, feeling abandoned and unwanted. The windows were steadily creaked open to let wind in, but sometimes the children would play spy games or take turns watching to see if "bad guys" would invade. Every once in a while if a person came up to the mansion and looked up into the window, they swore they could hear rustling and laughing, not the creepy kind you'd hear in horror movies, but a mini party, something you'd wish you could find out and explore and be part of to make your evening, only to find emptiness inside and shattered floors and walls. Maybe it was your imagination? Maybe it was the family? Or were you just going insane with fear, the stories playing on your mind...did the mansion possess that capability now too as a curse? _

As I stood at the gates of the mansion, I held my breath as a pinning sigh left my body. Eleaus looked at me and reassured we wouldn't split up. Haven and Sora were going to check one room while and he and I checked another. Sora stood back and used his Keyblade to unlock a special ceil on the gate. It was a special trick Master Eraqus had taught him years ago, his first spell because it was Eleaus's first one too. Gold and silver specs emanated off the gate and opened up for us. The statues and towered blocks were mismatched and decaying with buttercups and shrubbery. It was almost as though we were traveling through to a different time period. Haven slowly opened the door to the mansion and then swiped out her Keyblade ready to attack possible enemies.

"Nobody here, come on in guys," she called out to the three of us.

The place was the same as it was said in the legend. I knelt down on the ground to see sculptures and jewelry lying haplessly on the wooden surface. The whole floor had collected dust and I had to be careful where I stepped because the surface was so delicate and fragile. Eleaus looked at the designing on the walls of the great hall. Lion heads on top with knife shaped designs to the bottom of them. The middle of the room contained two chandeliers, each with 20 candles hanging and a glassed case with what looked like an obelisk. Ancient hieroglyphics were written up and down the structure.

"Alright, now guys, we have to search the place. There must be clues as to the finding of our sons. I'm not wrong. Master Xehanort won't get away with this," Sora said.

"Okay, split up!" I declared.

The four of us took different floors and rooms of the mansion. Eleaus and I took the top and Sora and Haven took the bottom. The rooms were still dirty and scratched up. I could surmise the Shadow Heartless had done it, visualizing the attacks, which only made me cling to Eleaus more. The family...I wondered where their hearts laid now. Master Eraqus told us that very few hearts could be brought back from the great beyond. Death was something even as Keyblade masters that we had to accept no matter what. Despite all our lessons and supernatural techniques that made us so different, he preached that we were still human and horrible things do happen to people whether they choose light or darkness to follow. We always had to keep a steady heart and be prepared should the darkness ever strike us. It could come at us like a thief in the night or a disease from the inside that could control you. I took these teachings to heart as Eleaus and I were on our guard at every corner of the mansion. Heartless could potentially still be hidden though the family was gone, guarding the mansion eternally. Eleaus and I went forth to the nursery room. Teddy bears and dolls were in still in their proper places, the play pin was in the shape of a garden and along the walls hung sketches of people. Eleaus and I looked skeptically at them. Two of them happened to have a boy who slightly resembled my son.

"Wait, isn't that...Lea?" asked Eleaus.

"Yes, and he's with Ven," I said.

"That proves Ven is here, he has to be!"

"Wait, these are Sora, Riku, and Kairi."

"This person must have insight into Ven's world, maybe even Sora's."

"Call up Sora and Haven."

Eleaus raced downstairs to find Sora and Haven browsing the decrepit kitchen where outside stood a multitude of empty tables and chairs that the family probably used to use for gatherings. The pots and pans were collecting rust and roaches from unclean dishes. Sora and Haven made their way upstairs to the nursery and I showed them the pictures.

"Whoever this is must be is a real artist," Sora said, "That's my boy there and Riku and Kairi. Oh, Stella would love to see these."

"Sora, our son must be here! In this mansion, somewhere. We just have to keep looking. Let's hold onto these portraits. Maybe it's a secret admirer."

"Kairi is Sora's only secret admirer, dear. Don't you forget it!"

We all shared a laugh or two over that comment and then proceeded to split up again, this time the west wing versus the east wing. Dozens of hallways led to nowhere except lone candles with mirror walls at the end. Bedrooms left unmade and unkept, perhaps the family kept no maid and cared less for those rooms. Haven and I entered what looked like the library. A small table with a miniature horse was on top of it with its muzzle pointing straight to the ground. A piece of paper with some crayons laid beside it. We called in our husbands to see what exactly this was about. Eleaus swiped out his Keyblade and used a charm to use for detection of special surfaces. The entire floor glowed white, something else was beneath it. Sora thought for moments on end until he finally came up with symbols. The Heartless, Nobody, and Keyblade master symbol Master Eraqus told us about. The library floor began to erupt with light spirts and flowing electricity. We realized the ground was fragile and ran to the door. The floor revealed an underground laboratory with a corridor leading to the deeper recesses to the basement of the mansion.

"This is..." I stammered looking Eleaus square in the eyes.

"Yes, Maggie. This is the area, the child found all those years ago when she was attacked. Something blocked her, possibly down there from knowing too much," he told me.

I wept slightly, realizing that it was probably Master Xehanort and his horde of Shadow Heartless who killed the girl and her family. The monster, demon, and devil in human, no, snake skin he was. Possessing no regard for human life, only power and knowledge.

As Haven and Sora held both my hands, Eleaus remarked, "Maggie, you've got friends and family. You have to have courage in yourself to face this. Master Xehanort may return no matter what. We have to move on and find Ven and Sora. Cowardice only makes him stronger."

I mustered up courage to finally shed my tears. I swiped out my Keyblade and spun it several times to get my muscles toned. We made our way down the stairs admiring the various channels and electrical wires built about the place. Then we descending into the corridor, not a single lantern or chandelier was present to guide us. The tunnel seemed so primitive, like we were entering a lion's den. The metal door of the corridor suddenly shut behind us and we all shuttered. It didn't help either that the place was utterly claustrophobic amid the narrow mud walls and I heard creaks and paw taps of mice. Sora could just about see the end of the tunnel as we all began to light the tips of our Keyblades. Each of us skeptical of actually venturing forward still. The shadows of our Keyblades emanated brilliantly about the walls making our way down the hall. Suddenly, the shadows began to move about restlessly, though we weren't moving our Keyblades. Small and medium sized black, smoky bodies with yellow eyes arose from the ground and began to charge maniacally toward us. Each of us could handle about 20 Shadow Heartless. But these Heartless were slightly different, more human like with their own Keyblades and and muscular bodies. We were a bit shocked at their human like physique, but we had a feeling Master Xehanort was playing us. As the Heartless flew in our direction, the four of us swiped out our Keyblades and gave the best fight I had seen in years. Never once until this point had I have to use my Keyblade this violently. Attacks and special spells were hurled back and forth. Sometimes we collaborated on techniques to weaken our opponents. It took us a good long ten minutes to fight all 10 of them off. Once we entered the other end of the corridor, we happened upon a computer room, much more developed from the last time the child arrived possibly. Billboards and screens full of numbers and pictures flooded the area, including a broken transporter. The four of us thoroughly inspected the room. Sora looked up at one screen, his eyes not moving one bit.

"Guys, come here," he ordered, "it's, it's my SON!"

He was correct, it was Sora only as a computerized model. What was this person's vested interest in Sora? Why keep him away for a year?

"He must be here!" He must!" Sora said ecstatically.

Haven put her arms around his waist, her head on his shoulder, and began to weep, "At last, honey, we're going to have our baby back."

As the two of them bonded, Eleaus and I went over to the computer system, and observed various links and websites the user had subscribed to. Could they hold clues for finding Ven? Eleaus accidentally stumbled upon something related to memories and in-born spirits like Nobodies that live on out of a person's body. One picture exhibited Sora and the boy who resembled Ven. His name was Roxas. We understood that to mean Sora X. Roxas must have been Sora's Nobody, but when did he lose his heart? Was it true? Did Sora know it? Did Roxas know his true name? In Eleaus's opinion, Roxas was much more like Ven's double. Another corridor passage opened. We motioned for Sora and Haven forward and to follow us. We stepped into the other room where we were met again with more Heartless this time more mature looking shadows who used tumble and dance-like attacks on us. It took almost no time to defeat them as we made our way to another room which had empty egg-shaped pods. Someone was conducting some sort of test we thought on Sora whatever it was. I peeked into another door and found something extremely shocking.

"Guys, come here! Come here!" I said waving my hand.

The light was blinding as I opened the door. The main control room possessed an even bigger pod than the others. It was beautifully decorated with vines and yellow flowers ridden alongside it. The top of the ceiling had the pod connected to what we surmised was the computer room we were last in. We looked around more examining the place. I walked over to what looked like a keyboard and small screen. It read:

"Goal: Complete. Sora has achieved full recovery. His Nobody Roxas has successfully reunited with him to complete the memory process. – Thank Namine."

The screen suddenly shut off on me. My eyes were wide open.

"Guys, I just read something very major. It has to do with Sora. He is connected with Roxas. If we find Roxas, we find Sora. He is Sora's Nobody which makes him a part of him. But the strange question is why does Roxas look like Ven when Roxas and Sora look nothing alike? Roxas was essential to some kind of memory process for Sora. What happened to him?" I pondered.

"Well whatever happened to the boy at least we know he's okay. He must be in another world. The memory process must have taken a year and this _Namine_ had done a pretty good job with him," asked Haven.

"Namine! Maggie, you know who Namine is! Namine was the girl that Ventus liked. If she wanted to help Sora and Roxas looks exactly like Ven, maybe she was trying to get close to him to see Ven. We can find Namine too probably," Eleaus answered.

"Eleaus, Namine is dead," I said curtly.

"It's not possible. This is, it's just impossible," Eleaus said, "We have to find her. We got this far with Sora and Roxas. They are missing links to Ven. What happened to that little girl and what she found those years ago was no coincidence, with the computer detailing facts the Keyblade War, the battles, the Heartless. Master Xehanort originally set up shop down here to protect himself and do these experiments in secret. He thought the child knew too much and he killed her and her family to protect his research and the mission. Someone else has set up shop here to block Xehanort's attempts to hurt other people. The Heartless are still here which means someone else was ousted from the mansion. Xehanort up to his old tricks again trying to keep us from the truth about Sora, Roxas, and Ventus. Ventus must possess something, something that Xehanort always wanted but could never ever have which was the X-blade," Sora lectured.

"Let's go back to the Gummi Ship. Let me get those sketches and download information on Sora and Roxas to hook up to our system to track where Sora is," Eleaus said.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapt. 40**

The four of us safely made it back to the ship to set up coordinates on Sora. The screen said that he was on the Destiny Islands, but projections of the island point where he was, showed no sign of him. Stella reasoned that maybe he and Riku were in some kind of alternate dimension. This wasn't making sense to us, but went with the explanation as best we could. Stella then began to sense strong messages from Master Yensid telling us to come to the tower. We had some sweet information to tell him about our leads with regard to Sora and Roxas's connection with Ven. Immediately we were transported from the Gummi Ship into the top of the tower.

"I have discovered something that may be of use to you. It starts with you two, Eleaus and Maggie, returning home to the Land of Departure. There are bouts of light emanating from grasslands leading to Castle Oblivion again. There are secrets that must be kept from all the world," the master said.

They involved Ven of course. His heart, as Eleaus and I discovered earlier. But there was something else there, something that we might have potentially drastically overlooked. Or maybe something else was revealing itself there that we didn't see the last time with Ven. The master could not read to exactly what this was. It was my last hope. To end this charade forever.

**Chapt. 41**

Master Yensid advised Sora and Haven to return to the Destiny Islands. He had sensed Sora Jr.'s, Riku, and Kiari's presence in the world. The three were traveling through various portals and had defeated Organization XIII and Xemnas. He wanted Kingdom Hearts for himself but Sora and the gang had stopped him in his tracks from wrecking chaos on the worlds. It took much coaxing on the part of Haven to get Sora Sr. to calm down and become reassured that his son was fine. He had done nothing wrong, the worlds as interconnected as they were depended on Sora and the Keyblade. Master Yensid encouraged Sora Sr. to be proud of him to have raised a hero. Roxas's whereabouts lied with Sora and the two of them reunited as one body. But where exactly did Ventus fit in all this?

"Go forth Sora and Haven. Everyone is waiting for you," Master Yensid said.

"We will, oh, thank you so much, sir. I'm indebting my life forever and ever to you," said Sora.

As Haven and Sora left the room, Master Yensid's gaze returned to Eleaus and I, "Now my compatriots, it is now your turn. Castle Oblivion is where you will find your answers to everything. Secrets abide in places we least expect them to be right under our noses."

"What does that meet?" asked Eleaus.

The master tilled his head and smiled slightly, "Again I'm afraid I do not know. As I've always taught you both, you will find for yourself. You have come such a long way."

"Yes, master," we both said.

"Now, that is all the information I can give you. Go forth Eleaus and Maggie, your son awaits you."

"But we've already seen him, what's the surprise? Has his heart always been there in some other room?"

The master raised a finger and commanded that we start our final mission immediately before it was too late. Eleaus and I bowed our heads forward with respect and proceeded to walk out the door of the tower.

"Maggie! Before you go, I want you to have something," the master shouted getting up out of the great blue cushioned chair.

He had walked over to the library case and pulled out an old book, **The **_Symphony of Sorcery_. I was shocked because the master never let students own ANY of his books, certainly those that embodied another world. These special books were passed down from generation to generation of masters. He placed the tome in my arms and positioned his left hand on my face, looking at me with piercing shadowy eyes.

"I'm lending this to you. We will each take turns with it. When I am gone, I want you and Eleaus to have it forever and ever. I know how much the world meant to you, what it will mean for Ventus. You both are the keepers of your own destiny and with it you will change the course of this menacing chain of events. Maybe someday the universe will be like those watercolored, painted landscapes the two of you enjoyed. Maybe that swan will find his mate again."

The master smiled at myself and Eleaus. We instantly dropped our things and shared a bear hug before we left for the Gummi Ship. My happiness was slowly coming back to me through all the hard work, sweat, and tears.

_"Ven, we're coming,"_ I thought, _"Don't worry."_

**Chapt. 42**

Eleaus locked on coordinates for the Land of Departure, as I paged through _The_ _Symphony of Sorcery_ and bookmarked pages where Eleaus and I would definitely visit next. One place would be outer space with music set to Stravinsky, a forest with Handel themed music, and the next one would be back to the Grecian Pastoral with Beethoven in the background. Or perhaps I would remain surprise and wherever we ended up would an adventure.

"Maggie I got it!" he exclaimed.

"Great!" I replied.

We landed the ship just blocks away from the grand castle. The empty grasslands lay behind us as Eleaus and I stepped onto the snow covered walkway. We could just about hear thunder.

"Let's get inside, Eleaus," I said.

We ran across the pathway and used our Keyblades to unlock the gate and doors to the castle. Master Yensid advised us that the place had been wiped clean of enemies so as not to disturb those things that are hidden. Eleaus and I, with heavy hearts, held onto each other and ascending into the menagerie once more. Master Yensid had again cast the special spell on the two of us to keep us from losing our memories within the castle. It seemed like days and days on end that we were inside. We'd camp out in different rooms, floors, and hallways to keep our energy going. At times we'd hear creaks and sounds of the wind breaking outside as we laid in the king sized beds provided in each room. Chandeliers flooded the bedrooms in an endless array of white and gold. At night, the rooms would transition from white to silvery blue for the clouds and gray sky reflected upon them. Eleaus and I would use these treasured moments to cuddle and reassure each other of safety. Occasionally I would mutter that I wished I had brought _The_ _Symphony of Sorcery_ with me than leave it in the ship. But it would have distracted us from the mission.

For what seemed like two weeks, Eleaus and I finally reached the top floor. Ventus's room was unchanged after all these years. I wept and knelt by his side apologizing prophetically for failing him as a mother. Eleaus took both our hands and said to Ven that we were still looking out for him no matter what. His heart would most surely be returned.

"But buddy what clues have you given us?" my husband asked.

It made no sense, why would Master Yensid direct us to someplace he knew we'd meet a dead end at. Just for us to see Ven in his _coma tose_ state again to vent our grief. No...Eleaus and I took turns searching the floor, hallway, and last bedroom. Eleaus found me crying on the bed, _all was lost_ I began to think.

We were never going to find the heart. I eventually carried Ven's body to the bedside and slowly stroked his hair. Eleaus laid next him and began to talk with Ven about the adventures his mother and him had all this time. He would have loved it. Eleaus noticed that Ven was considerably older now for his age. 25 years old, we couldn't believe it. The strangest of the strange upbringing he'd or anyone would ever have. No, the rearing wasn't wrecked by us, only interfered from external forces we couldn't control. Oh, my son. My beautiful boy. Like my everlasting love with Eleaus, nothing in the whole Keyblade saga had the power to triumph a mother's love and dedication. As we all laid in bed that night, I could almost hear birds chirping outside the long stain glass windows.

The sky was as gray as always, and I had set a timer for how long we'd sleep on each floor we'd visit. As I laid back from my pillow to stretch my muscles, I suddenly left something small and square. At the top of the woodened bed panel was a brown, deer skinned book. It wasn't there last night and I knew Ven surely had not moved at all. I picked it up and began to scan through it. I realized once at the end what this thing was...

_ MY MAGNIFICANT LIFE – A DIARY BY VENTUS_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapt. 43**

How could I have not known of this possession?

Was Ven truly keeping secrets from me all this time?

Did he already know about his destiny?

I began to skim through the book quickly and found some promising, yet heart retching details about our son. I shook Eleaus to wake up and walk with me to the window.

"Eleaus, this is important. Extremely, _extremely_ important," I said almost monotone.

"Did you read it?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Well, come on, let me read it, God damn it!"

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 1 – Age 6 **_

_Wow, a diary, my first ever diary. Now I feel all grown up. I just turned six years old. That means I'll be two years away from elementary school and of course Keyblade wielding. Terra and Aqua are soooooo cool, my best friends. Mommy and Daddy love me too and always say I'm a good boy, like Pinocchio...But something weird is going on...Daddy says he wants to tell me something. Something secretive, he's not sure Mommy would understand me. He says she's keeping me in a "Bubble." I hope he doesn't mean a soap bubble!_

_ Bye bye!_

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 2 – Age 6 **_

_I don't know what's going on. Something having to do with a man named Xehanort. Daddy says that he tried to take me away from Mommy. But Daddy wouldn't allow it. Maybe Xehanort is a lonely old man. Hahaha, I wonder what Daddy would think if he heard me say that! Anyway, well I think I better watch another movie or play with an action figure. _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 3 – Age 7**_

_It's been so long since I've written anything. I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like, is any of this for real or not? I talked to Daddy about it. Recurring thoughts of scary monsters with yellow eyes, shadowy, and were being headed by this man. But one scary dream I had was that I was surrounded by these shadows. I didn't want to join them, but the man would have none of it and...(gulp)...destroyed me. I've been in my room for days and Mommy thinks its bad casserole I ate. Daddy doesn't think so, so he came up to me. He asked me what was wrong, shaking me at my arms. He told me I had to face my fate someday. The simple Keyblade exercises we were doing were not just play time. I would have to split my time between fun and games and destiny if I was going to defeat this enemy. I hated having to keep this a secret from Mommy. She had wanted me to be safe from the evil man._

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 4 – AGE 7 **_

_ Daddy is having me meet with this wise man named Master Eraqus. It's Square spelled backward like Master Yensid is Disney backward. Eraqus is very kind to me. He told me everything Daddy told me about my training. He wanted to start me earlier. More vigorously as I got older. He told me not to worry about anything. Simple twirls and fire and ice spells would take up my time. Ahhhhh, I hate homework..._

"Honey, he just switched to first person," I said.

"This is very special diary, Mag, it's like we are reading his past thoughts then," Eleaus remarked.

"Let's read on."

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 5 – Age 7 **_

_ All year I've been getting more and more better at this stuff. Speed, the master said was my strength. I'm sooooo proud of myself. I hope Mommy and Daddy are too. I can't tell Terra and Aqua though, they are sooo busy with their training. We love each other so much, I'm like a baby brother to them. _

_AHAHAHA, gotta run!_

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 6 – Age 8 **_

_ Terra and Aqua come over all the time to Mommy and Daddy's. Their parents Richy, Esmerelda, Terra Sr. and Molly are almost like aunts and uncles to me. But other friends in my heart I've made recently are these two boys in my class, Isa and Lea. "Got it memorized?" hahaha always make me laugh and Isa teaches me to meditate at recess. We tell jokes and share stories all the time in class. We've gotten sent to the principal's office twice for being kind of bad...but we're working on our behavior. _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 7 – Age 8**_

_I'm kinda beginning to have weird feelings for this pretty girl named Namine. She's shorter than me with light blonde hair, lighter than mine. We always do fun things together like run outside, stroke our hair playfully, do monkey bars, and secretly practice spells. Lea and Isa have been encouraging with the relationship and we hang out all the time. Terra called me a "little man" or "lady's man" because so many girls in my class thought I was cute. Maybe because I sing or play the guitar, I don't know. I only thought Namine was cute I told the class. I had to sit for thirty minutes after class ended to confess what I said was wrong. Mommy said that it was okay and that I'd never do it again. Namine and I are soooo meant to be together though! _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 8 –Age 10 **_

_ Oh man, I nearly lost this diary. UGH! Things are really busy. Daddy is talking to my Uncle Sora more. Things haven't been too good for a long time in our family. Mommy can't protect me from it. My aunt Haven is pregnant with my baby cousin and is about to deliver in a matter of time. Namine has a plan for me to be well protected if Master Xehanort should get a hold of me. She says I have to make some sort of connection in order to survive the danger out there. Whatever it is, Namine is casting a spell on me so we do connect. Out of all this, Master Xehanort is on our trails. This training is really paying off. I'm like a mini Keyblade master like Terra and Aqua. I'm going to have to make some hard choices. I have to face Master Xehanort if I want to save my family. The Land of Departure is getting scarier and people are moving out because of these creatures. Once the battle is over, Master Eraqus said that peace will resume itself. Isa and Lea are moving away to the Radiant Garden. They say they'll write to me three times a week and share more stories with each other. Namine says that she has a secret plan on how to completely trump Master Xehanort. She is a witch, a good witch she calls herself. Master Eraqus taught her that individuals can cast reincarnation charms in which a person with a strong heart will reappear as themselves in the future. They may never knew when, where, or who they will be reincarnated in. Through special magic, the individual can uncover and release the reincarnated subject their bodies. It is a rare spell and that takes much time to learn. Namine had been practicing it for months, putting pieces of it together in combination with my connection spell. _

"_THE SAME HEART! THAT'S IT! IT'S THE ONE THING, MASTER XEHANORT CAN'T UNDERMINE!" she exclaimed, "What we need to do is to ensure and reaffirm that your heart is connected with the newborn baby's! After all, the newborn is connected faintly with your heart. Right? Because your Uncle Sora and Eleaus are HALF-BROTHERS of the SAME FATHER! Their hearts are physically and spiritually one! The same heart equals the same SOUL! WHO THEY ARE? THEY ARE FAMILY! YOUR FAMILY IS UTLIMATE POWER, Ven." _

_I looked stunned at the idea. My heart connected with someone I will potentially know soon or may be not? How would I know the newborn would survive delivery and make it out into the world in order for me to live?_

_ "Namine, that's crazy! How do you whether it will work? I mean I haven't even met the kid yet! For all I know he or she is a stranger to me. What if we aren't destined to get along? What if we are strained like Dad and Uncle Sora were before?" _

_But I had no choice, this was it for me. As moments passed on, I became more and more optimistic that this could be the ultimate and untimely flaw in Master Xehanort's plan. _

_ "Let's do it," I said. _

_Namine's face beamed as I always saw it beam when she got a wonderful idea. _

"_Maybe we can work out something so it is less painful," I said. _

_ "How many months pregnant has she been pregnant?" asked Namine. _

_ "Since March." _

_ "So that means, the baby won't be due until December," said Namine, "How long do you think the heart will take to formulate?" _

_ "Within hours after the baby is born I guess, it doesn't take long. I remember Master Eraqus telling me that."_

_ "That should be enough time for the baby and you to connect so you have that support in case Master Xehanort does anything to you. You just have to remember that it is the newborn's heart you are connected toward." _

_ "That's right. It's all there is to it. I should be safe and sound. Hopefully the baby won't mind it having a wonderful cousin that happens to be a part of them." _

_ "If it weren't for your grandfather remarrying when your father was five this would not be possible and you could be lost forever in Master Xehanort's grasp." _

_ Namine told me to close my eyes, for the spell would take 20 to 30 min. to cast, each step was a process but I was willing to go through with it. Before she cast the spell, she hugged and kissed me saying that she loved me. "Puppy love," my Daddy always said. She said she believed in me, and that we'd be together soon. I hope she's right. This is it, there is no turning back, my family and friends in my heart, always, Mommy, Daddy, Master Eraqus, Master Yensid, Terra, Aqua, their parents, Richy Esmerelda, Terra Sr., Molly, Isa, and Lea and also their parents, Robin and Lisa, and forever always...Namine. _

_..._

"Dear, this is why Namine and Ven were missing," said Eleaus, "When Xehanort had gotten hold of Ven, Namine disappeared due to the after effects of the spell. For that particular spell, the caster sacrifices his or herself to ensure the other's survival. You can't say Namine indirectly committed suicide because the spell ensures her survival through a future person who also happens to have a strong heart. It's a very rare and emotionally personal spell, that shouldn't be abused. So her heart is also asleep, but within someone else's," Eleaus proposed.

"Yes, but in who's heart and how did she get eventually free when we saw her message at the mansion pod room?" I asked.

"We just have to keep reading dear. Xehanort will pay for what he has done."

"What happened to her parents and Narele?"

"Narele I think ran away, but the parents were overtaken by the shadows."

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 10 – AGE 10 **_

_ Master Xehanort has kidnapped me, I hope I can get everything down before it's too late in my head. Memory has become so dear to me. He wants me to fight these monsters. I'm not strong enough. While Mommy and Daddy tried to keep me safe, I was busy getting myself prepared. These beings...overwhelming me...what do I do? I think I'm...NO! Beginning to black out. My own heart is darkness. This split in my heart is killing me. WHAT'S GOING ON?...I think I see something...a masked boy coming out of the smoke..._

Then some fog began to emanate from the diary and the pages we had just read materialized into dust and swirled their way toward Ven, pouring into his forehead. Eleaus and I stared at each other aggressively. We had no choice but read on more.

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 11 – Age 10**_

_What is this diary? Are these my words? Where am I? How did I get here? Everything is so dark, blurry, and murky. I hear beach sounds but all around me is darkness. _

"_Hello?" _

_A voice is calling me. Telling me that I'll be fine. It seems like the voice is lost too, "Hey, where am I?" _

'_It's a brand new heart' it says. _

'_But why are you in my heart?' I ask. _

'_The light brought me' it said to me. _

_That's nice. _

_The voice saw it shining in the distance and followed it here. That was my light. But my heart is fractured, and now the little I have left is slipping away. I'm in trouble, please help me whoever you are. The voice offers to have my heart join its. Kind little one. We won't be strangers anymore. Now our hearts have touched. Nothing else will slip away. The voice is telling me, one day...I'll be strong enough to win back the part that already did from this new heart intertwined with mine. I say thank you to it. It's time to wake up now. All we need to do is..._

_ 'OPEN THE DOOR.' _

_ I feel my arms moving, I'm using this weapon, holding it up toward the sky. There is light, a key, I can feel my eyes widening. Thank you strange voice. _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 12 – Age 11**_

_New place Master Xehanort and I came to. Land of Departure. Nice people, Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus. Things are fuzzy. I feel like I've been here before. Oh well, I guess training will help me. My heart is so weak...please help me whoever you were. I feel like a zombie. _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 13 – Age 15 **_

_ Master Eraqus finally let me have this book back. It may hold secrets as to who I am. Strangely enough I can only turn as far back as Big Events number 11. This doesn't make sense to me. I have to know, I have to go. I want to be a Keyblade Master. I want answers. I know I've met Terra and Aqua before someplace, I sense it. Maybe some curse was put on them or spell like they can't remember? Nobody will tell me anything. Something is brewing and I have to know what to conquer the darkness. Master Eraqus always told us to stay in the light. And these fuzzy thoughts in my head, of battles and shadows and my heart splitting, what does this mean? _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 14 – Age 15 **_

_ These dreams of a masked boy keep coming back to me. Terra and Aqua keep me grounded in training. But tomorrow is the big day for the Mark of Mastery. I can't participate. Oh, a meteor shower, a must see attraction!_

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 15 – Age 15**_

_ Terra, Aqua, and I had so much fun practicing together. I know they'll be wonderful Keyblade masters. Hopefully I'll get to be just like them. _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 16 – AGE 15**_

_ I've been having more strange visions, these two people with blonde hair and faces similar to mine that seem vaguely familiar. They call my name, those voices...I wonder what this all means. Perhaps I need to leave home to find out, if Eraqus lets me. Master Eraqus has just determined that Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery. _

_ Terra always has been a bit unsure of himself, but I never expected the darkness to formulate. He's always been like a big brother to me. It's like we've known each other all our lives. He was particularly instrumental in initiating me properly to wielding a Keyblade. We all share the same dream of becoming masters. Aqua's been almost like a mother figure to me, monitoring my behavior and making me feel at ease. Mother...Who were my real parents anyway? I guess I'll never know...time will tell nonetheless, if I do have parents funny enough. _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 17 –Age 15 **_

_It's the masked boy again! I know he's trying to pick a fight, is this his plan all along? He is telling me I should go out and see for myself where Terra's whereabouts will take him. He thinks he'll be a different man coming home, that he'll do these horrible things. I say that Terra and I will always be a team. I can't lose him to the darkness. I mean get real! Master Eraqus says I'm not ready to leave the Land of Departure. He sometimes treats me like a little kid, even though I'm capable of taking care of myself. He doesn't understand me at times. I'm just as powerful and have seen Aqua and Terra train together. We're as tight as friends can be and I don't want to let them down. I have to make a choice, I have to discover my past and where Terra is heading to protect him. _

_ Terra sees me running frantically, I'm out of breathe. He scratches my hair telling me it's alright. He rides off heroically into the porthole to outer space. I'm not satisfied. I have to follow him even though it's against the master's orders. Maybe I'll meet that masked boy again. _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 18 – Age 15**_

_I've been to so many different worlds. They all seem familiar, like I've been there in a dream. It's like someone opening a picture book to me, I feel little again. The characters, the castles, the landscapes. Someone I heard once said, "If you can dream it, you can do it." _

_I think I know his name...Walter Elias Disney. Things are starting to come back to me. But in pieces. My own heart feels warm inside as my mind passes on them._

_ Elias...sounds like Eleaus...familiar name. _

_I had one chance to meet up with Terra and Aqua. We all happened to be in Radiant Garden to defeat this thing, an Unversed? Terra said that he had to go on a secret mission, something besides the master's orders. He's fighting the darkness. Aqua isn't sure, they sure have grown apart. But Terra says that she's been spying on him. He seems doubtful of the light in his own heart. He wants to be left alone, but I won't let him. He can't. I look at Aqua with distaste for chasing him off. It's made our mission even more complicated. She was trying to bring me home, the master's orders she cited. She is awful and mean-spirited to myself and Terra...though she is a Keyblade master, she's let it go to her head. _

_I want to go with Terra, but he won't let me. Why not? When I really need him he says, he'll be there. I laugh and ask why he wouldn't be? He's my friend. He thanks me and disappears out of my life again. I head back to Aqua, she tells me to go home. She really should have been my mother, than my friend...MOTHER...who is my mother? Where is she? FATHER? Oh, I don't know...all these questions, these people leaving my world and possibly my mind. I just want to cry amid my loneliness, my friendships with Terra and Aqua hang by a sharp, thin, thread. _

_As I ponder things, two boys named Lea and Isa come to make my acquaintance. "Got it memorized?" Lea always says. Isa is kind of quiet and insightful of his friend's actions. They both welcome me as a friend into their circle, they'd be sure to see me again. It's like I waited a lifetime to meet them. We did some Keyblade battles together, I won of course. Maybe I will see them again now that I think of it. They are like my peers, like Zach and Hercules from the Olympus Coliseum. All of us, young men, trying as hard as we can to find direction and friendship in our lives. Yes, those connections, Terra and Aqua will always be there of course, but I need to find people close to my level, if anyone understands what that means. _

_This masked boy keeps coming back, time and time again warning me of something. A fate, like I'm part of some big plan...is there something Master Eraqus isn't telling me? The boy refuses to show his face, he looks about my height and my age. He's passive, aggressive, and possibly more of a threat than his "master." But who exactly is he serving? And where is Master Xehanort in all of this? He's been acting rather shady lately. I thought he would be with Master Eraqus. _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 19 – AGE 15 **_

_Master Xehanort tells me to come forward to the Keyblade Graveyard desert. He has important news about me. He fears that Master Eraqus may be using me. To imprison me against my will. He fears the power and the weaponry I possess as a future Keyblade master. I specifically am the Key to this battle that will go on in the future...a war. It has happened before and will happen again of course. He tells me to go back and see if Eraqus has been an honest man to his will to train me. To solve this whole mess, this X-blade, as a weapon for the war, I have to fight Vanitas, the masked boy's name, even if it means putting my friends at risk. _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 20– AGE 15**_

_I've come back to the Land of Departure. I need to confront Master Eraqus once and for all about my fate. He's happy I'm home, not matter what. But that's his plan, for keeping me imprisoned here like I'm a great threat to be contained. _

'_What did you hear?' he asks. _

'_I'm some kind of weapon. Some kind of X-Blade,' I retort angrily. _

'_Xehanort,' he reasons, 'could never let it go.' _

_A Keyblade War...yes, it's coming back to me. I tried to stop him. Mother and Father aided me and everyone else, even Terra and Aqua, were their memories wiped clean or did they just repressing everything that happened? The master never forgot and just wanted to protect me. But he won't fail to let Master Xehanort get away with his plans for apocalypse on the universe. He wants to kill me, I can't exist anymore. Maybe it's best...I've found out too much...but what about Mother and Father and Terra and Aqua. And their families. And Lea and Isa and their parents! And someone else...No, I couldn't stand it, oh, I don't know. _

_Terra, he's come back. _

_Terra tries to protect me, I can't feel my arms. Master Eraqus reasons that if Terra does not back down then Terra will join my fate. A tear roles down his eye and charges to attack us. We are both thrown backward. Terra looks forward and channels the darkness within him against the master's will. _

"_You maybe my master. But I will not let you hurt my friend!" I hear him shout in the distance of my mind. _

"_Has the darkness taken you, Terra?" the master asks._

_Terra throws me into a portal telling me to run for my life. _

_Darkness falls around me as I disappear._

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 21 – AGE 15**_

_ I've appeared on a strange, homely island. Feels like home..._

_Vanitas is back again. Fate, fate...it just comes back to me time and time again. _

"_I'm through with you!" I shout. _

"_I'm just getting started with you," he retaliates, "You're strong enough now to fulfil your purpose. So what are you waiting for? Fight me now, become the X-blade." _

"_Master Xehanort said that the only way to solve this is to have you and me fight. Well guess what, I'm not fighting!" _

_ "You used to be too broken to speak up." _

_My head, my thoughts, everything passing before me. I remember something. Something horrific. Something that had been in front of me all the time. _

_I'm in the Keyblade Graveyard desert. These monsters are surrounding me. _

_ "Please Master! Don't do this! I'm not strong enough." _

_ "PRODUCE FOR YOUR MASTER THE X-BLADE!" this old man in black and silver proclaims._

_Master Xehanort...but why! How? What am I duping myself for? He tried to destroy me not protect me as he always claimed. To use me for some kind of X-blade. I remember! I was taken away. __**He took me away.**__**MOTHER! FATHER! EVERYONE! And...who is it...her blonde hair, her petite figure...Nam-Nami—Nah-NAMINE!**_

_I scream as a shadowy figure over takes me and knocks me out. _

_I am laying on the ground unconscious and Master Xehanort kicks me on my back abusively. A Keyblade appears in his hand and stabs me in the heart, causing me to awaken from a calm serene sleep. Thoughts of the colors red, black, white, and yellow flood through me, as I drift off again unconscious, almost catatonic. A dark sphere of smoke erupts from my chest to create something. The masked boy appears out of the sphere ready to serve Master Xehanort. _

_I come back to reality, the awful, repressed thoughts I have brought from my subconscious. Maybe they were always there, I just didn't want to think about them. _

_The masked boy is giving me an ultimatum. I stupidly ask what it could possibly be. I knew the prophecy, time and time again, I knew what ultimately had to be done. Him and I had to unite. He was a part of me. It was natural. We had to meet in order for me to form this X-Blade, if I didn't he was going to choke the life out of Terra and Aqua. _

_NO. I won't let that happen. They are my friends. NEVER. He will pay for this...this, Vanitas. _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 22 – AGE 15 **_

_This is it. I have to face my past. I have to make things right. I have to protect my friends. I arrive at the Keyblade graveyard, Terra and Aqua are at a cross roads. I'm scared to death at the prospect of this X-blade formation. Will Vanitas replace the old me? The very thought of it...what was he going to do to me. He was a daredevil. A demon and an abomination beyond hope of salvation...Was he like a deranged long lost brother? No, I wouldn't believe it. Terra and Aqua try to calm me down. I know I won't come back alive. _

"_The three of us can never be torn apart. We'll always find a way," Terra says as Aqua puts a hand on my cheek. _

"_I'm asking you, as a friend, just...put an end to me," I say weakly. _

_I can't do it, I can't bear to put them at risk. It's best if I disappear, but then I wouldn't be able to see Mother and Father again. What would they think of my predicament? Whom am I kidding...they know...I'm going to face Xehanort and Vanitas alone and there's nothing they can do. _

_Two shadowy figures appear down another road in the desert. Master Xehanort and Vanitas. They will do whatever it takes to take hold of me, the X-blade. The three of us prepare and transform into our armor with our Keyblades in hand. The three of us fighting strong and persistently against this evil. Terra decides to take Xehanort and Vanitas on himself, the last time I ever see him..._

_Aqua and I are dealt with me having a few weak spots in my torso and legs. Master Xehanort had used powerful Blizzard spells and froze me from the head down. Everything is numb. We make our escape to the valley below and see above us a blue, heart shaped moon. Kingdom Hearts? I didn't know, but Master Xehanort was going to use it to start the war and rule the universe. _

_The war...I knew this happened before. My father, ELEAUS LEXEAUS, told me of my late grandfather, Amadeus. Our family was gifted with special powers beyond Xehanort's comprehension. I was the heir to it and had to protect my family's treasured powers to bring balance to the universe and protect Kingdom Hearts, to release the true light. This was the true reason Xehanort wanted me, to get revenge on his once true friend, my grandfather. Amadeaus stopped Xehanort long ago and Xehanort never forgave him and wished to avenge himself on me. Everything made sense...Power truly has the ability to corrupt, even precious, tight friendships. _

_As we wait for Terra, a man with a black patch approaches us. He begins to vehemently insult us including Aqua on the inevitability of Xehanort's power. _

"_SHUT UP!" I exclaim and give him a glaring stare he'll probably never forget. _

_Aqua defends me and stands up to fight Patch-face. She hides me on the side of the boulders. I try so hard to free myself of this blizzard bind. Despite his top notch lazer guns, Patch-face of course is defeated but insists that he stalled us. _

_ "AQUA!" I shout. _

_Vanitas careens down the cliff and slams Aqua in the back of the head and I still can't move a muscle. He reaches his Keyblade...the stabbing is inevitable, he's going to obliterate her, like he almost did mine in the desert when he was born. I'm losing so much of myself, this can't happen, I have to think of something. Torment and uncontrollable rage begin to embody me. I break the curse and stand up with wrath seething beneath me, yet I feel no darkness in my heart. He and I fight and fight until neither of us has energy to continue. Strangely enough, I win against this psychopath. He congratulates me on my effort and begins to unveil his mask. _

"_Now that my body is about to perish, you and I will have to join together," Vanitas says. _

_I gasp in horror to find not a monstrous, ugly creature, but a seemingly innocent looking, gothic, spikey haired, black and red unitard wearing, fresh-faced teenage boy. A deranged maniac on the inside and the outside, however he still retains a face only a mother could love. He is giving me a glaring stare which I take with more caution than friendly encounter. _

"_THE KEYBLADE WILL BE FORGED!" Vanitas exclaims as dark smoke and shadows spouted about him. _

_The Unversed creatures as I heard before by Master Eraqus came up out of nowhere and latch onto my skin pulling me down to the stone cinderblocks on the valley. _

"_The Unversed come to YOU?" I ask weakly. _

_I knew there was no redemption in his yellow eyes. He sighed and began to borrow his eyebrows and smile again at the same time. I hate that combination of emotions. _

"_It happened when you and I were split into two. The negativity took shape as these monsters. They are what I feel—a horde of fledgling emotions under my control. I released them in all the worlds I could, hoping to lure you away from home and isolate you from your Master. We needed to make you stronger. The Unversed were the perfect opponents. And better yet, no matter how many times you defeat them, their negativity flows right back into me. You never stood a chance against us, Ventus" Vanitas said manically. _

_This was too much for me to hear. For anyone to hear. Was this what Mother and Father feared for? That I was this weapon or that I had this darkness in me? I mean darkness lingers in every heart. But why in this form of this boy? He looked nothing like me, what was the connection? If only I could remember...I can't think straight. The boy begins to motion closer to me, slowly sucking himself into my chest as strands of darkness. Blinding light is surrounding me, Vanitas's face keeps coming back again and again. I was losing control of myself...my impulses, emotions, and physical moments and on reality itself. There was no stopping it, the X-blade would be formed all because of me. Vanitas after all was a part of me so it was both of us, both sides of me...a side Master Eraqus I surmised probably wished to repress and eliminate forever by killing me. _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 23 – AGE 15 **_

_I feel as though I am falling, falling, falling..._

_Never knowing when it could stop..._

_I find my body slowly descending on a stain glassed floor with what looks like myself and on the other side is Vanitas. Both sides of the same coin. I never knew darkness in a person could come as a human being. But guess everyone is different. As I scan the arena I begin to hear things from the outside, voices of horror and villainy, proposals of awful things to come. From these thoughts, I feet a connection in some strange way, I was spewing them...but it wasn't exactly me, but Vanitas possessing me. No! He will not hurt Aqua or Terra or any of my friends, I have to fight and annihilate Vanitas for good. But then I realized, Vanitas was a piece of me, another morbid part in the formation of the X-blade, in which Xehanort tempered with my heart or should we say my mind to achieve creating this monster. If it meant killing him, then I'd kill myself. There must be something for me to live again, something that I agreed to do to save me from eternal damnation. Someone in the past...Namine again, she promised me something for herself and me that we'd meet again. She had an idea, something that could keep me alive. A certain someone...someone dear to me, another connection, I could just about remember his face. I realized he almost looked like-_

_My thoughts have been interrupted as I see Vanitas descend toward the stain glassed floor. _

"_Our union wasn't finished yet," he says with grandeur. _

"_The X-blade shouldn't stay broken like this. Join me now, and we can complete the X-blade!" he proposed pointing the weapon at me. _

_I shake my head in dismay, "How about, if I finish you both off instead?" I proclaimed arching my back forward into attack mode swiping out my Keyblade. _

_Vanitas seemed to shrug off my petty attempt and laugh, "The X-blade is made of your heart too, idiot. If you destroy it, your heart will vanish forever."_

_I could care less. I knew I was finished, but 'anything to save Terra and Aqua' I tell him. _

"_It's always about your friends, isn't it?" Vanitas says nonchalantly. _

"_At least I have some! I've become a part of their heart just as they've become a part of mine. MY FRIENDS ARE MY POWER AND I'M THEIRS!" I say eying Vanitas with an equally bewitching stare and begin our final battle. _

_As I use every ounce of energy available to me, I think of Mother and Father and the rest of my family and Namine. The world will be a safer place with Vanitas and Master Xehanort thwarted. Spells and Keyblade techniques I have known since childhood are coming back to me when I need them the most. Master Eraqus, though he betrayed me, would always be in my heart to see me through to the rest of my training. As Vanitas grew weaker and weaker, I began to see someone else, a thought of mine that was interrupted. Somebody that my Father used to know...not with another woman, but his strained relationship he used to tell me with his brother, SORA. They were just beginning to get back together again. His wife was expecting someone special in their family. I was involved with it and so was Namine. But what? Vanitas's eyes and his hair and his face shape..._

'_**It made sense**__,' I thought as I just made my last move on him to finish him off for good._

_Sora...SORA! His wife...the BABY. I am horrified as I step away and watch my Keyblade disappear from me. Vanitas struggling to clasp the X-Blade, but all for a lost cause. For a moment I pity him, all he wanted was to be his own being, maybe he was troubled and wanted to see where he came from and went crazy when he found out what his existence was. __**But I know now, he was a reflection of something much deeper, magically and psychologically, an after effect of a spell...My uncle's baby and I, Vanitas was the embodiment of darkness in my heart in the physical form of my half-cousin. He was the reason I was alive.**__ Namine cast a spell on herself and me to ensure my survival so that my heart would find the baby's. As I finally become enlightened, Vanitas disintegrates into the stain glassed floor. Tears both happy and sad begin to spew from me. I have to find the baby's heart like he found me. But then another thought comes to me...maybe Vanitas was also my cousin's darkness manifestation, since he and I were always connected by a thread but not in complete form as of yet. I soon began to fear my future cousin, but he must be at least 5 years old, how could he know darkness yet? He still has my uncle and my aunt and maybe his friends, and my parents to ensure he's fine and sheltered. Maybe not...hearts are unpredictable that way, but no matter what darkness or insidious being laid in our way, my cousin and I would face it together no matter what. I feel content and satisfied as I feel the light simmer all around me, basking in it like water. I rise up to any pathway that might take me, hoping for a voice or anyone who might understand and give me a home. I had to find him, my cousin, my family. _

_**BIG EVENTS IN MY LIFE 24 – AGE 15 **_

_I am swimming all around the darkness. It seems like forever...where am I? Suddenly, I can hear voices from the outside, I feel as though I touched a nerve. Tears ushering down a person's face, who's face though? Two tiny voices conversing from what sounded like a beach. I can't see it though, but I can feel it getting closer. _

"_This place, is so warm, I know it... it's your heart..." I think to myself._

_I don't have to say anymore, for I can only following the wisps of innocent chitchat through the endless shadows. _

"_Hey, can you hear me?" I hear a child whispering. _

_He has to embrace me, it is the only way I am going to survive and give myself a second chance to come back for everyone. To make things right with the universe, with Terra and Aqua, and with my family and friends. Oh how I wished to see my Mother again and Father and my Uncle Sora and Aunt Haven and their son, MY WONDERFUL COUSIN. I didn't care if it was a half-cousin, FAMILY IS OUR UTLIMATE POWER. How I wait to see my whole life...my father and my uncle had been at odds, but now was the time to unite our family again, to be stable, to love again. My half-cousin, though he was only a baby, was the one I was speaking to when my heart was fractured. The spell worked, how I wish I could hug and kiss Namine. These powerful people who made all the difference in my survival._

"_HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME!?" the child screams. _

"_I heard your voice. It cut through the darkness around me," I say angelically. _

_The little boy had my uncle's facial features to a T, but had my aunt's hair color. _

"_All alone I followed the sound into a sea of light. And found myself here...with you," I continue. _

_He nods in agreement. I wonder if this child knew how deeply connected we were. Of my past, of his first words to open the door. He sounds and looks like such a saint, a charming boy, gentle and dear. The way he moves his eyes, I wished I was there to see him as a baby. So our family could be right, no more Master Xehanort. _

"_You gave me something back when I needed it most...A second chance," I reply. _

"_I did?" the boy asks. _

"_But...now I have to go back to sleep again," I said somberly. _

"_Are you sad?" the boy asks with his baby blue eyes. _

_I pause for a moment. I never kidded myself for a second. I could trust him, I had to trust him. Though the face of Vanitas crosses my mind again. The little boy looked exactly like him, but without the maniac in his eyes. Vanitas was truly __**the child's**__**alter ego**__ whom would never have the misfortune to know hopefully. So many dark secrets to the heart, but I am willing to guide this boy through, to give of myself, something of the light, and to empower him against the darkness should he ever have to fight. He will have family and friends to support him. I have made my decision. The Keyblade shall pass onto him now. _

"_Would you mind if I stayed here with you?" I ask. _

"_Sure, if it will make you feel better," the boy answers innocently. _

"_Thank you..." I say sleepily and make my way toward his chest. _

_Our hearts finally touching, as one with each other. _

_And for a moment, I could hear another voice, his friend most likely, Riku, he is called, and the shouting of the boy's father telling him to come back. The boy had felt my sadness and grief and wanted to reach out to me. Opening up his heart. Intuitive, he and I are, something special. The boy is named after my uncle, Sora Jr. so I don't have to transition so much to a new home._

_A family's love was and is always bound, forever. _

_Hope you are happy with my decisions Mom and Dad. _

_See you real soon._

_Your son, _

_Ven_

**Chapt. 44**

Eleaus and I looked back at Ventus's sleeping body and for just a second, I could see a smile developing on his face. I looked down at the diary and stroked its deer skin. Suddenly it began to disappear and its particles swirled through the air and seeped into Ventus's forehead.

"I can't believe it..." Eleaus said, "Ventus never told us about the spell."

"Maybe he thought that you would get angry with Sora again," I said.

"What are we going to tell Sora and Haven? That our son's sleeping heart is inside your son?"

"It's going to be too much for them to comprehend at the moment, Eleaus. All we know is Sora is our last hope to free Ventus and to return his heart back to where he belongs. Ventus's undying loyalty to his cousin just demonstrated how powerful and strong our family bond really is. You and Sora are fortunate to have and love each other, Eleays. I wish my parents and your parents could see it. Especially Arshal and Amadeus."

"Our nephew and our son are special people, they'll change the world forever and defeat Master Xehanort. He wanted revenge on Amadeus too, Maggie, make no mistake about that. And in doing so wanted to get to the closest more vulnerable being. But he failed for now. Sora has become an indirect agent for Ven. For the time being we have to wait and see what Sora's plan is. I'm sure his parents will be behind him no matter what."

"You're right. Why don't we go back to the Destiny Islands now? We have to leave Ventus here. We have no idea who might want to rob or attack us. Castle Oblivion stands up against anything."

I was so foolish saying that, how I wished I could bring him home. For so long not seeing him, but I didn't want to be that foolish and put him in more danger. If we found Sora, we'd find Ventus. Roxas we figured was like Vanitas as a mere light manifestation of Ventus, without his memories. All these identities that had to be negotiated again to make balance in our families' hearts. Things would be well soon. We returned Ventus to the king-sized chair in the room Eleaus found him in. We held him tight, me coining this a _three-power hug_. With heavy hearts, we closed the tall marble doors with never-ending anticipation of what laid beyond the horizon for our baby.

**THE END **


End file.
